Box Score BOX SCORE
Staten Island, N.Y. - For the second time in three seasons the John Jay men's soccer team is heading to the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) men's soccer championship as Hiromi Karahashi (Kangawa, Japan/ St. Johnsburg) drilled a direct kick to the back of the net in the 100th minute as the Bloodhounds came away with a 1-0 overtime win over York College in the semifinal round of the 2006 conference championship at the College of Staten Island Soccer Complex.
Karahashi drilled the goal with :42 remaining in the first overtime set up by a handball from York College. He drilled the kick directly over the York wall before the ball found itself on the upper right hand corner of the net, giving John Jay the win.
"I just kind of kicked it directly toward the net," said Karashi. "My teammates all jumped on me before I had a chance to realize I scored. It was a great feeling and I am confident we'll do well in the championship."
After a scoreless tie during the reguar season, the two teams picked up where they left off. The score was 0-0 once again after regulation as both teams battled to an evenly contested match for much of the afternoon.
John Jay outshot the Cardinals 14-11 in total shots, including 7-4 in shots on goal.
The Bloodhounds held York to zero shots on goal through the first 45 minutes. But the Cardinals fired off two shots on goal in the opening minutes of the second half.
But York would not get another shot on goal until the late stages of the second half. WIth about five minutes remaining goalkeeper Michal Podbielski (Bellrose, NY/ Art & Design) made a save on a point blank shot taken five feet in front of him to preserve the tie.
John Jay also had chances late, including a direct look by Christian Tapia (Fresh Meadows, NY/ Central Islip) which sailed over the net.
The goal by Karahashi was the first of his young career and it came at the perfect time for head coach Stavros Zomopoulos's squad.
"It was a tough start to the season (being outscored 20-0 through the first three games), but I knew if we stayed together we would be right in the thick of this thing," said Zomopoulos. "And now here we are playing for the championship game next week."
John Jay will now play for the championship on Sat. Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. at the CSI Soccer Complex against Baruch College.
Baruch defeated Hunter 5-0 in the other semifinal round game to set the stage for the championship.
The game against Baruch will also be a day for possible sweet revenge for the Bloodhounds. It was Baruch who defeated John Jay in the 2004 championship game. After a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime, Baruch defeated John Jay on penalty kicks to win the championship and advance to the NCAA Division III tournament.
