2002 CUNYAC / BRINE Men's Soccer Semifinals

Medgar Evers Surges Past City Tech, 4-1

Ridgewood, NY -- Following a scoreless first half, #2 seed Medgar Evers College exploded four goals to top New York City College of Technology, 4-1 in the semifinals of the CUNY Athletic Conference / Brine Men's Soccer Championship. It marks the fifth time in the past eleven years that the Cougars have reached the CUNYAC final. Medgar Evers (11-7-1) scored the first goal in the 56th minute when sophomore Seiku Forbes (Brooklyn, NY) scored from a tough angle into the far corner after a throw in from freshman Noel Watson (Brooklyn, NY). Nineteen minutes later, Watson found a cutting Roger Delfosse (Brooklyn, NY) who knocked in the second goal. “We finally settled down in the second half," said Forbes of the two tallies. “Coach [Stanley Harmon] told us that we were rushing and not making accurate passes." In the 83rd minute City Tech (7-7) scored on a penalty kick after a handball in the box when Noel Escoto (Queens, NY) slipped it past MEC goalkeeper Ancil Steeple. Steeple, a native of Trinidad, had 11 saves on the afternoon. Unlike their quarterfinal game when they let Baruch tie a 3-0 game with only eleven minutes left in regulation, the Cougars kept up the pressure and added two late goals. In the 85th minute, Watson earned his third assist of the game when he went wide on the right side and crossed it to a cutting Jason Dryden, who put in a beautiful diving side-volley. It was Watson's CUNY leading 13th assist on the season. Dryden also scored a second time on a breakaway two minutes later to complete the victory. “There's a lot of skilled players on this year's team but we are still searching for more consistency" said Harmon, the Cougars' head coach four all four previous CUNY finals appearances (0-4). “Still, I'm excited for the team to get the chance to play for the NCAA's."   Douey Nets Two to lead CCNY over Hunter 2-0 Ridgewood, NY -- City College of New York advanced to the CUNY Athletic Conference / Brine Men's Soccer Championship for the second consecutive year with a 2-0 victory at the Metropolitan Oval in Ridgewood, Queens. It was the Beavers second straight shutout in the tournament, following a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals over John Jay. CCNY (12-2-1), the CUNYAC regular season champions, got on the scoreboard in the 16th minute when freshman defender Kenton Moore (Mount Vernon, NY) sent a diagonal through ball to his high school teammate at Mount Vernon High School, Douey Wright who put it over outrushing Hunter keeper Dan Djura's head for the first tally. The Beavers' second goal came in the 83rd minute when sophomore midfielder Santiago Helman's (Queens, NY) shot was deflected by Djura (Ridgewood, NY) with Wright pouncing on the loose ball and putting it away for his league-tying 14th goal of the year. “I think that we dominated play despite having to struggle with the wind in the second half," said CCNY senior goalkeeper Roger Cyrus (Brooklyn, NY), who collected his ninth shutout for the second straight season. “We're ready for the championship on Saturday even though Medgar Evers played very well today and improved from when we played during the season." CCNY will shoot for the first title since 1993 while the Cougars will be seeking their first ever title. With the NCAA Automatic berth on the line for both teams the stakes will be high for Saturday's 5:00 pm kickoff at Metropolitan Oval. “They're very strong and balanced," said CCNY head coach Ray D'Argenio. “We need another strong team effort like we had today."