The College of Staten Island men’s soccer team cracked the win column for the first time this season, coming from behind to score a 3-2 win over Brooklyn College in the conference opener for both teams earlier today at Kingsborough Community College. The win, the first for the Dolphins under new coach Jose-Luis Rebay, lifts CSI to 1-2-1 overall and 1-0 in the CUNYAC, while the Bulldogs fell to 0-2, 0-1, respectively.
Brooklyn took last year’s meeting over CSI by the same score with all goals coming in the first half of that game. The Bulldogs were hoping for the same fate, as they built a 2-1 lead at intermission, only to see the Dolphins score two unanswered in the second half to steal away the win.
The three first-half goals game within a 13-minute span. Kenneth Zaw, CSI’s leader a year ago with six markers, scored his first goal of 2011, scoring a long-range strike that hit the top corner of the netting past diving BC keeper Stamatis Boundouris at 15:36. The CSI lead was short-lived, however, as the Bulldogs raced right back with an answer at 18:45. Dedou Toure hit the back of the net, connecting on a Reza Malek cross inside the box.
With the score knotted, BC got the final laugh of the frame, as Toure connected again on an indirect free kick with just over 16 minutes to go in the frame. The game was clean of scoring from there, as Boundouris and CSI keeper Ahmed El-Ghareib combined for 10 first-half saves.
After being outshot 12-7 in the first half, CSI needed an offensive boost, and got what it was looking for with a two goal spurt by striker Dogan Altunsoy. The senior scored his first of the season unassisted at 55:06, when he stole a pass from 30 yards out and raced in unimpeded to score the game-tying goal. With still plenty of time left, Altunsoy broke free in the box and smashed home a rebound off of a long shot that hit the crossbar just 12 minutes later, giving CSI the 3-2 edge with 23 minutes to play.
CSI then stood back and upped their defensive game, holding BC to just 7 shots (4 on goal) in the second half to preserve the win. The very evenly-matched game had Brooklyn holding the final edge in shots, 19-15, and corner kicks, 4-2. Brooklyn also committed 14 fouls to CSI’s 13, but no bookings were issued in the contest.
For CSI, next up will be a non-conference test against Berkeley College (NJ) at home on Saturday at 4pm.
