Harrison, NY - A late first-half goal from
Helmer Herrera and a six-save shutout from goalkeeper Davio Rossi-Levin propelled the John Jay College men's soccer team to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Baruch College in the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) semifinals on Saturday evening.
For the Bloodhounds, this marks the first time since 2019, in which the program won the CUNYAC title, that the team will be vying for the league's title.
The No. 5 seed John Jay will be the home team in the upcoming title game as they will host No. 6 seed Medgar Evers, who defeated No. 2 seed Hunter, 1-0, in overtime on Saturday.
Kickoff from York College is slated for 10:30 a.m.
Despite being outshot 23-7, John Jay capitalized on its opportunity late in the opening half and relied on a resilient defensive effort to preserve the one-goal advantage through the final whistle. Baruch controlled much of the early possession, generating several scoring opportunities during the opening 20 minutes. The Bearcats threatened with a flurry of attempts midway through the first half, but John Jay's defensive unit held firm.
The Bloodhounds registered their first shot on goal in the 19th minute when
Sekou Sheriff tested Baruch goalkeeper Zaid Mohamed, who turned away the attempt. Baruch nearly broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Michael Figueroa struck the right post, keeping the contest scoreless.
John Jay delivered the decisive moment at the 43:36 mark when Herrera found the back of the net for his third goal of the season. The unassisted tally gave the Bloodhounds a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime despite Baruch holding an 11-3 edge in shots through the opening 45 minutes.
The Bearcats increased their offensive pressure following the intermission, registering 12 second-half shots while searching for the equalizer. Rossi-Levin rose to the occasion, making five of his six saves in the second half. The senior goalkeeper denied Figueroa in the 57th minute before turning aside attempts from Diego Sachun, Samuel Jacobs and Sardor Abidov as Baruch continued to press forward.
John Jay looked to extend its advantage in the 58th minute when
Josh Clemas placed an attempt on target, but Mohamed made the stop.
Sebastian Leja followed with another opportunity in the 70th minute, forcing Mohamed into his third save of the evening. The Bloodhounds' defensive unit of
Charlie Metz,
Petur Larusson,
Kristian Hernandez and
Karl Menuau each played the full 90 minutes, helping withstand Baruch's sustained offensive pressure.
The Bearcats mounted one final push in the closing moments, but Rossi-Levin delivered a crucial save against Andreas Kotronis at 89:20 to preserve the shutout.
Herrera's first-half strike ultimately proved to be the difference as John Jay secured its place in the conference championship match.
