October 31, 2001 - Semifinals

Ridgewood, NY - The top two seeds, York and CCNY, won their semifinal matches today in the 2001 CUNY Athletic Conference / Brine Men's Soccer Championships to advance to Saturday's final for the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Coincidentally, York (12-3) beat CCNY (13-3) two weeks ago, by a 1-0 score. The final will be played at the Oval at 1:00 pm.

York 4, Hunter 2

The defending champion Cardinals struck early with a goal in the fifth minute and poured it on with three first-half goals in winning their 14th consecutive match against CUNYAC opponents and advancing to Saturday's championship game. Freshman standout Cheick Keita (Banako, Mali) was in the middle of all good things for York on the day as they advanced to their second straight CUNY finale. The left-footed midfielder headed in the first goal on a cross from midfielder Kevin Lee (Jamaica, NY) to give York the 1-0 lead. Sophomore Paul Cardoza (Jamaica, NY) had the next tally in the 23rd minute on a pass from Marc Meo (Jamaica, NY) with another rookie, Evans Jean-Pierre (Brooklyn, NY), adding the third five minutes later to give the Cardinals an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Cardoza also had another goal in the 76th minute on a beautiful lead by Keita to top off the Cardinal scoring.

"We didn't play well today," said York 1st year coach Linval Cunningham. "They were down to ten players when the goalie got red-carded [for a handball outside the box] and we got lazy in the second half."

A York player also received a red card, when Lee attempted a sloppy tackle and took out a Hunter player in the final minute, forcing a key player to sit out the CUNYAC finale.

Hunter (5-13-1) made it interesting in the second half after York's Craigon Campbell accidentally headed the ball into his own goal and Japanese import Takuma Sugata blasted a shot into the lower left corner in the 78th minute to finalize the scoring at 4-2. But the Cardinals live to defend their conference title in three-days time.

CCNY 2, Staten Island 1

Senior Ivan Popov (Bronx, NY) volleyed home the winner in the 87th minute as CCNY beat a feisty Staten Island team to advance to Saturday's final.

After a scoreless opening 45 minutes dominated by CCNY, the teams settled into a see-saw battle thereafter. The Beavers struck first in the 56th minute when an Ivan Popov shot from outside the box deflected off teammate Gary Byrne (New York, NY) into the opposite corner, beating Dolphin keeper Gustavo Vallejo.

But three minutes later, CSI (9-7) was back in it as senior Tom Consolmagno (Staten Island, NY) netted his CUNY leading 15th goal of the season to knot the score. Consolmagno collected a loose ball on the left side of the goal and blasted one past Roger Cyrus (Brooklyn, NY) off the far post and in.

"It was kind of upsetting that they scored so quickly after we did," said Popov, the 2000 CUNYAC Player of the Year. "We worked extra hard to get more chances."

Popov's game-winner, his 7th of the season, came after he collected a ball on the right side of the box and beat Vallejo to the near post. The Beavers were happy to avoid a semifinal upset after being eliminated from the CUNY playoffs last season by York.

"By winning today, we earned the right to play on Saturday," said 3rd year head coach Ray D'Argenio. "I think my team deserves it, we're glad that York will be there as well. I'm excited at the chance to play them again."

--CUNYAC--