The College of Staten Island men’s soccer team couldn’t end their recent regular season skid, falling for the sixth straight time, and the fifth-straight in conference play, 2-1, to Hunter College at Randall’s Island on Saturday evening. The Dolphins’ loss sends them to 3-9-1 overall and 3-5 in CUNYAC play while the Hawks improved to 4-7-1 overall and 3-2-3 in conference.
Things started promising for the Dolphins, as both teams scattered a trio of shots in the first frame, CSI was able to register first via a Dogan Altunsoy goal at 28:14, firing in a shot off of a pass by Alfonso Casteneda, his fifth of the season. The shot, however, was the only one on goal for CSI in the frame, and it would only hold up for a little over seven minutes, as Hunter’s Anthony Intrabartolo knotted the score at 35:43. The teams went into halftime from there, 1-1.
Hunter put the clamps on defensively in the second frame, as CSI was only able to muster a single shot, by Casteneda, which sailed wide of the net, not troubling HC keeper Zade Haobsh. Meanwhile, the Hawks peppered the CSI net with six shots, five on goal, with the payoff coming with exactly six minutes to play in the contest. Adamu Hamza directed a cross into the goal mouth, that Intrabartolo punched in for his second goal of the game and fourth of the season, for the game winner, 2-1.
Hunter finished ahead, 9-4 in shots (7-1 on goal), earning an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. Hunter’s Danny Vera, picked up the only booking, a yellow card at 51:22. Ahmed El-Ghareib made five saves for the Dolphins in the losing cause.
CSI’s CUNYAC regular season is over. The Dolphins could finish as high as sixth in the final standings (should Medgar Evers defeat CCNY on Wednesday) or as low as seventh (if CCNY beats or ties Medgar Evers). The Dolphins will officially end the regular season on Saturday, when they host New York University at 2pm at the CSI Soccer Complex.
