By: Michael L. Damon
mdamon@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 237-8322
Box Score BOX SCORE
Maspeth, N.Y.— While having not played at the Metropolitan Oval since last October, the John Jay men's soccer team made up for lost time, playing well over 110 minutes of soccer, en route to a 2-2 tie with SUNY Purchase on Monday evening.
The tie snaps the Bloodhounds' six game losing streak to start the season. They are now 0-6-1 overall, while SUNY Purchase is 0-1-1.
John Jay had control for most of the match. In the first half, the Bloodhounds outshot the visiting Panthers 8-4, and controlled the ball for a majority of the time.
Despite the Bloodhounds aggressiveness, John Jay and SUNY Purchase went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.
John Jay had some close moments early in the second half. But eventually it was SUNY Purchase who got the first break of the game when the Panthers broke the scoreless tie in the sixty-third minute on a goal by Blaise Bourgeois.
Bourgeois, who took a game-high eight shots in the contest, capitalized on a goalkeeper mistake and blasted the ball to the wide open net.
But any momentum the Panthers gathered was quickly subsided as the Bloodhounds evened the score 5:10 later on a goal by
Anthony Estevez. The goal evolved after a well placed corner kick left the ball in front of the net.
Edward Gonzalez and
Rafi Mashirqi each got a touch before Estevez put it over the crease and tie the score.
Then John Jay took the lead in the seventy-fifth minute as
Navid Allah Morad redirected a ball that left the Purchase goalkeeper out of position and put the Bloodhounds on top.
John Jay carried that lead all the way into the final minute of play. With no official scoreboard at the field, and various unofficial times having the game into as late as the ninety-seventh minute, the Panthers capitalized on the extra time. The Bloodhounds, who were whistled for 16 fouls in the second half, 10 of which came in the final five minutes alone, were called for one inside the box leading to a penalty kick.
Bourgeois proceeded to make the penalty kick and send the game into overtime.
In the extra sessions, John Jay outshot the Panthers 4-0, but could not put one into the net en route to their first tie of the season.
Vitecha Kochaon made three saves in the tie for the Bloodhounds, while David Kurzweil stopped eight shots for the Panthers.
John Jay returns to action for its first conference match of the season against Medgar Evers College at 4 p.m. at the Metropolitan Oval.
