Staten Island, N.Y.— In a rematch from the 2004 conference championship, the John Jay men’s soccer team, the Cinderella story of the postseason, fell short, losing 1-0 to Baruch College on a borderline goal in the 2006 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) men’s soccer championship at the College of Staten Island Soccer Complex.

 

In what was otherwise a tightly intense game, the Bearcats got the break they needed in the 25^th minute of the first half. With the game scoreless Baruch’s Daniel Wright took a shot on goal that was denied by goalkeeper Michal Podbielski (Bellrose, NY/ Art & Design). But Wright followed up with another shot which Podbielski denied again but not before the ball crossed the goal line by the narrowest of margins.

 

“It’s disappointing that it was ruled a goal because I’m confident that the ball never crossed the line,” said Podbielski. “It was a fifty-fifty decision that unfortunately didn’t go our way.”

 

It proved to be enough as the Bloodhounds failed to get a shot passed the Baruch goalkeeper.

 

John Jay was out shot 17-7 on the afternoon, including 9-1 in the first half as Baruch maintained control for most of the game.

 

But the Bloodhounds had opportunities late, and their best chance came in the final 30 seconds. In the final minute John Jay’s Kamal Haruna (Accra, Ghana/ Martin Luther King) took a pass from Hiromi Karahashi (Kanagawa, Japan/ St. Johnsburg), and from point blank range headed the shot right into the arms of the Baruch keeper who made the save to preserve the tie.