Release courtesy of St. Joseph's Athletics
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Needing one win in their final two games to clinch a spot in their first ever Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Tournament, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team tied Berkeley College, 1-1, on Wednesday night at Aviator Sports and Events Center.
The tie was the first in Bears (6-6-1, 2-2-1 HVIAC) history and the first time in four meetings that the Knights (5-10-1, 3-2-1 HVIAC) haven't won, the previous encounters decided by five or more goals.
On a cold and rainy night, the teams remained scoreless after 45 minutes of play, but the Knights scored first just 50 seconds into the second stanza on a Johan Hildingsson goal, just one of two shots for the Knights in the period.
The Bears, who could have finished in second place with two wins, took to the offensive looking for the equalizer and outshot Berkeley, 17-2, in the half and maintained a 9-1 corner kick discrepancy. Reigning HVIAC Player of the Week Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) leveled the game in the 68th minute, scoring his eighth of the season, and neither team would find the back of the net for the remainder of the contest.
In the extra periods, St. Joseph's held a 4-1 shot advantage, but couldn't put any on frame, and finished the contest with a 27-8 shot disparity.
The Bears still control their tournament fate needing a win or tie in their regular season finale against Vaughn on Saturday. With a win, St. Joseph's will finish in third place and will head to No. 2 Albany Pharmacy for a semifinal on Sunday. With a tie, the Bears will take fourth place and head to No. 1 Culinary for a Sunday semifinal.
Saturday's game against Vaughn will kick off at 1 p.m. at Queens College.
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Release courtesy of Berkeley Athletics
The Berkeley College New York men's soccer team, and the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears played to a 1-1 tie Wednesday evening in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at Aviator Field in Brooklyn, NY. With the tie, the Knights' record on the 2014 campaign is now 5-10-1 (3-2-1 HVIAC), while the Bears' mark is 6-6-1 (2-2-1 HVIAC).
On what was a very cold evening in Brooklyn, the rain came down for a majority of the game - hard at times. The teams put forth their best efforts despite the pourous playing conditions, but neither team was able to find the net during the contest's opening 45 minutes.
In the opening minute of the second session, Berkeley's Johan Hildingsson scored a goal to push his team ahead by a score of 1-0. The Bears - who ended up dominating the second session offensively by out-shooting the Knights 17-2 - tallied the game-tying goal when Raul Urshela would slip a ball past Berkeley's goalkeeper Mathias Valle in the 68th minute. That goal turned out to be the final regulation score, and what followed was two overtime periods in which neither team would score.
Both goalkeepers played great games and made many key stops, as Berkeley College's Mathias Valle stopped seven shots, while St. Joseph's goalkeeper Michael Miner halted five Knight blasts.
St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn registered 27 shots on the evening compared to just eight for the Knights. The Bears also held a 12-3 edge in corner kicks, and the Knights were whistled for 16 fouls compared to 11 for St. Joseph's.
The Knights are in the 2014 Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, with their seed and opponent not yet determined. The Bears still control their own playoff destiny as St. Joseph's needs a win or tie in their regular season finale against Vaughn on Saturday to get in. Should the Bears lose, the Warriors would solidify a spot in the tournament.
For all of the latest information pertaining to the Berkeley College New York men's soccer team's participation in the 2014 HVIAC Men's Soccer Tournament, keep it posted to www.berkeleycollegeknights.com.
