New York, NY - The John Jay College men's soccer team held a one-goal advantage for much of the second half, but visiting Baruch College scored twice in the final 11 minutes, including the game-winner with just 33 seconds remaining, to escape with a 3-2 victory in CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Randall's Island.
With the setback, the Bloodhounds fall to 6-7-0 overall and 2-3-0 in conference play, while the Bearcats improve to 4-7-1 and 3-1-1 in league competition.
Sekou Sheriff and
Sebastian Leja each found the back of the net for John Jay, with Leja also recording an assist.
Greg Semsarian and
Blake Paves each contributed an assist, while Davio Rossi-Levin finished with nine saves in goal.
John Jay established an early offensive presence, generating a pair of corner kicks within the opening four minutes.
Kristian Hernandez and
Miguel Espinal each registered attempts before Leja forced Baruch goalkeeper Dzmitry Piatrashka into a save in the 11th minute.
Despite the early pressure from the Bloodhounds, Baruch struck first in the 17th minute. Andreas Kotronis connected with Samuel Jacobs, who netted his fifth goal of the season at the 16:53 mark to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
The Bloodhounds responded with the equalizer in the 29th minute. Following an offensive sequence involving Semsarian and Leja, Sheriff finished the opportunity at 28:43 for his fourth goal of the season, leveling the contest at 1-1.
John Jay carried the momentum into halftime, holding a 7-5 advantage in shots and a 3-0 edge in corner kicks through the opening 45 minutes.
The Bloodhounds continued to apply pressure coming out of the intermission. Sheriff registered an attempt less than two minutes into the second half before
Josh Clemas had an opportunity turned away by the Baruch defense.
John Jay broke through in the 54th minute when Paves set up Leja, who buried his second goal of the season at 53:49 to give the Bloodhounds their first lead of the afternoon, 2-1.
With the advantage in hand, John Jay looked to withstand an increasingly aggressive Baruch attack. Rossi-Levin delivered several key stops, including saves against Jacobs, Ignacio Cutello-Edgar and Kotronis, as the Bearcats began to control possession and generate scoring opportunities.
Baruch eventually found the equalizer at 79:22 when Kotronis scored his sixth goal of the season, bringing the match even at 2-2 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
The Bearcats continued their offensive surge down the stretch, forcing Rossi-Levin into multiple saves. The Bloodhounds nearly regained the lead in the 89th minute when Paves directed a shot toward the bottom-right corner, but Piatrashka made the stop to preserve the tie.
Baruch capitalized on a late scoring opportunity. Rossi-Levin initially turned aside an attempt from Kotronis, but Cutello-Edgar converted the ensuing chance at 89:27, scoring his second goal of the season to give the Bearcats the decisive 3-2 advantage.
Baruch finished with a 20-15 edge in total shots, including a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Bearcats outshot John Jay 15-8 in the second half, while the Bloodhounds held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks for the match.
Leja, Clemas and Semsarian each recorded three shots to pace the John Jay offense, with Leja and Clemas combining for four shots on goal. Sheriff added two attempts, while Espinal also finished with two shots. Rossi-Levin played all 90 minutes in goal, recording nine saves, including eight in the second half.Â
For Baruch, Kotronis led the attack with six shots, four on target, while contributing a goal and an assist. Jacobs added four attempts and a goal, and Cutello-Edgar supplied the late game-winner.
The Bloodhounds will be back in action on Wednesday, October 21 as they will take on CCNY at 7:00 p.m. from Randall's Island - Field 10
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