CCNY Downs Staten Island 3-2 In Overtime To Win CUNYAC Championship
11/5/2005

 

Staten Island, NY--The top seeded CCNY Beavers defeated the second seeded College of Staten Island Dolphins, 3-2, in overtime Saturday afternoon in the CUNY Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship game at the CSI Soccer Complex.  With the victory, the Beavers (13-5) earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament.

"This is a tremendous relief," exclaimed CCNY's third year head coach Osborne Carter.  "After we had the 2-0 advantage we should have ended it sooner, but we came through in the end."

            Both teams played an extremely nervous and hard fought first half, but neither team would be able to break through with a goal. Things picked up quickly in the second half, as junior Ernand Pellumbi (JF Kennedy/Bronx, NY) scored the first goal of the game, volleying a shot inside the right goal post and past CSI keeper Valon Osmani (Wagner/Staten Island, NY) to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute. Patricio Cuvi (Humanities HS/Queens, NY) was credited with the assist after making a nifty cross to Pellumbi. CSI would suffer a crushing blow in the 57th minute, when senior Asmir Dzemovski (Wagner/Staten Island, NY), the conference's leading scorer, was red carded and ejected from the game. The Dolphins would be forced to play short handed the rest of the way. Fourteen minutes later, junior Juan Gomez (Humanities/Manhattan, NY) blasted a tough-angle shot from the right side of the field inside the right post to give the Beavers a seemingly secure 2-0 advantage.

             The Dolphins, however, would battle back. In the 77th minute, junior Leonardo Arganaraz (Curtis/Monte Grande, Argentina) took a pass from sophomore Robert Wilkes (Moore Catholic/Staten Island, NY) and buried a right footed shot past Beaver goaltender Neil Khalid Salim (Pelham Memorial/Queens, NY), to cut the deficit to 2-1. Eight and a half minutes later, the Dolphins would strike again. Following a corner kick by Wilkes, CSI's Derek Surmanek's (Farrell/Staten Island, NY) header struck the crossbar. Arganaraz swiftly headed the rebound into the net at the 85:48 mark to tie the game at two.

            The two teams would head to overtime with the game tied at two. Five minutes into the extra period, the Beavers would seal the victory as Cuvi headed in the winning goal off a corner kick by Gomez, sending CCNY to their second NCAA Division III Tournament in the past three years.  Sophomore defender Roger Gonzalez (Fray Luis/ Venezuela) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.  "It was a great team effort," said Gonzalez.  "I love playing with these guys.  It took a little longer than we hoped, but we got the result we wanted in the end."  The Dolphins fell to 9-8-2 on the season with the loss, and will hope for an ECAC Tournament berth.  "Our guys never gave up," said CSI's second year head coach Vito Veneruso.  "Playing a man down for most of the second half, I am proud of the way our team fought."  CCNY will await Sunday's NCAA Tournament selection call to find out who they will face when play begins on Wednesday.

  

SCORING SUMMARY:
GOAL   Time Team     Goal Scorer              Assists                                  Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.   51:16 CCNY     Pellumbi, Ernand         Cuvi, Patricio
2.   71:00 CCNY     Gomez, Juan              (unassisted)
3.   77:23 CSI      Arganaraz, Leonardo      Wilkes, Robert
4.   85:48 CSI      Arganaraz, Leonardo      (unassisted)
5.   95:08 CCNY     Cuvi, Patricio           Gomez, Juan - Corner kick


CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS:
YC-CSI #2 (24:52); YC-CCNY #7 (38:54); YC-CSI #8 (50:33);
RC-CSI #9 (57:02); YC-CCNY #13 (60:49); YC-CSI #13 (74:29)

Officials: Timekeeper: Geraldine Jaquez; Scorer: Kim DeRitter;
Offsides: Staten Island 1, City College of NY 10.