The College of Staten Island had their fair share of breakaway woes this afternoon against Baruch which led to a 0-0 draw against CUNYAC rivals, Baruch College.  The Dolphins dominated the game but were unable to find the back of the net which moves their overall record to 5-3-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the CUNYAC while the Bearcats move to 2-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the CUNYAC.
 
Staten Island saw a healthy amount of attacks in the first portion of the first half but were unable to seal the deal and convert for the game’s first goal.  The whistle was being blown early and often as the game was physical from the get go.  Nermin Kurtesi had a golden opportunity 19 minutes into the game but tried to heel it in instead of taking a touch and burying what would be an easy goal. Baruch’s back line were able to keep the Dolphins’ forward’s honest as they would pull the offside trap and catch the Dolphins offside six time in the first 20 minutes of the game.
 
Colby Aranibari nearly put the Bearcats up 1-0 in the 27th but miss-hit the ball which Jake Foeldes was easily able to corral. The physical play finally led to the showing of a yellow card to Baruch College’s William Rosales.  The Dolphins continued to pressure the Bearcats’ back line but were unable to find a crack and take advantage of their opportunities. 
 
CSI once again outshot their opponent’s 8-4 in the first half with four of their shots making Xavier Carrillo work.  Adrian Cosovic led the Dolphins in the first half with two shots, with a header almost finding its way into the top corner of the goal.  CSI controlled the pace of the game, playing to a speed they’re comfortable with.  That left Baruch with limited touches which resulted in them kicking the ball forward and hoping for the best, however the Dolphins’ back line was up to the task.
 
Dolphins came out in the second half and kept their level of play high and continued to possess the ball.  Matthew Bessler had an opportunity early in the second half after receiving a through ball.  Bessler however was unable to convert as Carrillo came up with a save that was parried right to Peter Hanna.  Hanna would rifle off the shot but it was blocked by a Baruch defender.
 
The Bearcats finally found a kink the Dolphins’ defensive armor but Alin Basuljevic headed the ball over the wide open net. That scare led to the Dolphins picking up their play which created more chances on goal.  But with the chances came more offsides against the Dolphins, Adrian Cosovic and Marcin Klim continued to be over anxious when attacking the goal.
 
Christian Minich found himself on a breakaway against with no one around him other than Foeldes.  Foeldes would come up huge with a one-on-one save to keep his Dolphins from falling behind 1-0 late in the game.  Mohamed Ndao was a nice addition to the midfield this game as this was his first game this season after returning from a preseason injury.  Ndao held onto the ball and distributed it with ease for the Dolphins.
 
Another Dolphins build up would see Youssef Aly flick one over Baruch who was holding another high line that saw Cosovic through with no one around him for 10 yards in any direction.  Cosovic slowed down to place the breakaway into the back of the net however Carrillo was able to dive onto the ball before Cosovic was able to lace it up. 
 
The breakaway woes would not end there for the Dolphins as in the waning moments of the game Dardan Nika would find himself alone only to send his shot wide left.
 
At the end of regular time the Dolphins led 17-7 in shots with 10 of their shots making Carrillo earn his starting spot.
 
The first extra time yielded tame results compared to regulation as the breakaways subsided and the shots started settle down. Aly would have a shot, however it would be blocked by an outfield player to keep the game 0-0.
 
The slowed down game carried over to the final 10 minutes. With four minutes remaining in the second extra time Oshae Miller had a wide open opportunity as Foeldes came flying off of his line.  Miller tried to chip one over Foeldes’ head but was unable to keep it under the bar as the ball sailed out of bounds.
 
For the remainder of the game the ball would ping pong back and forth until the final whistle was blown. Both teams played a hard fought physical battled. 
 
The Dolphins will return to action on Saturday, October 1 at the CSI Soccer Complex for another CUNYAC matchup against Brooklyn College.