2000 CUNYAC Soccer Championship

Surprising York Takes It In OT

York College took their third CUNYAC title today when a header by Chimela Okord snuck past the Medgar Evers goalkeeper in double overtime for a 3-2 win, in the 2000 CUNY Athletic Conference/Brine Men's Soccer Championship at City College today. Freshman defender Freddy Carmona (Brooklyn, NY) served a free kick right to Okord in 111th minute, to send the Jamaica, Queens school into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the school's history.

"I'm ecstatic for my seniors," said fifth-year head coach Richard Packard, whose fourth-seeded squad knocked off #1 seed CCNY in the semifinals. "After the four years they put into the program, they deserve this. It takes an entire team to be successful in championships like this and we have great teamwork out there."

Okord, a senior defender originally from Nigeria, was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, but refused to separate his stellar performance from the rest of the team. " We know that we do not have the most skilled team in CUNY, but we have strong veteran leadership on this team and when you have that, you always have a change."

York took a 1-0 lead into the break after an Alex Proano (Ozone Park, NY) penalty kick at the 28-minute mark following a Medgar Evers handball in the box. In the second stanza, the Cougars came storming back with two goals in the opening 15 minutes to take a 2-1 lead. In the 53rd minute, all-star midfielder Andrew Blyden (Brooklyn, NY) evened the scored with a head ball from freshman Deighton Cyrus (Brooklyn, NY). Seven minute later, Cyrus received a nice through ball from freshman forward Jahdiel Williams, nailing it in the lower left corner for the temporary lead. Proano, a senior forward, netted a free kick to knot the score at 2-2 in the 70th minute.

Medgar Evers the number-two seed, was vying for their first tournament final win in their fourth appearance, the last three under current coach Stanley Harmon, while York has won the crown every time the school has reached the final.

"Now we have the responsibility of not only representing York College, but the CUNY Conference," said Okord, who now resides in Laurelton, NY. "And it's a position we do not take light-heartedly."

By Gregg Cohen-CUNYAC