BRONX, N.Y. – Lehman College senior midfielder Ronniel Mendez scored twice but it was not enough as the men's soccer team fell to Baruch, 3-2, in CUNY Athletic Conference action on the South Field, on Wednesday evening.

With Lehman (1-7, 0-2 CUNYAC) trailing 1-0 in the first half, senior midfielder Jonathan Moallem (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) guided the ball through a sea of Baruch defenders to Mendez (Mantanzas, Cuba/Miami Southridge), who used his speed to beat the Bearcats' goalkeeper one-on-one and knot the score.

Before the half was over, Mendez struck again. This time, he headed the ball into the net on a crossing pass from sophomore midfielder Essosa Aluyi (Nagoya, Japan/Elmont Memorial), to give Lehman its first lead of the match, 2-1.

Lehman was forced to play man-down for the entire second half, and the Bearcats (5-4, 1-1 CUNYAC) put constant pressure on the Lightning. Lehman's strong defense kept the home team in the contest but Baruch was able to capitalize on a free kick to tie the game at two, with 19:30 remaining in regulation. The Bearcats tallied the game-winning goal on a rocket from 15-yards out with just 2:23 left in the second half. Despite a late surge in chances for the Lightning, the Bearcats were able to hang on and win the match, 3-2.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jesus Marin (East Harlem, N.Y./Manhattan Village Academy) made 11 saves for Lehman.

The Lightning will be back in action on the South Field on Sunday, September 28 for a non-conference battle with Sarah Lawrence College. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.