Box Score
FLUSHING, N.Y. (Oct. 17, 2022) – For the first time since 2003, the CUNY Athletic Conference Community College Men’s Soccer Championship Game was decided by penalty kicks, as No. 2 BMCC outlasted No. 1 Queensborough in a thrilling finish to secure the 2022 championship trophy at Queens College Varsity Soccer Field.
Battling through wet and soggy conditions throughout the second half and overtime periods, the Panthers survived to claim their first conference championship since 2019 and the 13th title in program history. The contest was just the third time in CUNY history that the league champion was determined by a shootout.
“It was a very good game against a very good team,” said Panthers head coach,
Modou Seck. “It was a tough game, but we were able to come back, stay focused and take it home.”
Monday’s contest was a rivalry renewed for the two programs, marking the 11th time in conference history that the two teams matched up for conference bragging rights.
BMCC scored the game’s first goal in the 15th minute, when
El Hadji Ady Gaye found the back of the net off a rebound following a corner kick from
Bodrul Alam. The goal stood as the lone score between the two programs in the opening frame.
As the rain picked up in the second half, so did the offense between the top two squads.
John Pavana, the 2021 CUNYAC Community College Men’s Soccer Championship Most Valuable Player, scored the equalizing goal for Queensborough in the 60th minute. The sophomore serviced a ball into the box, bouncing over the outstretched arms of BMCC goalkeeper
Abdul Mumin Seidu and into the netting.
The Tigers, who reached the conference finals for a ninth consecutive year after securing a second straight regular season title, took the lead in the 68th minute. Pavana crossed the ball into the box from the left side that ricocheted off the keeper’s arm to the foot of
Anthony Gallardo, who finished with a right-footed blast to give Queensborough its first lead of the evening.
BMCC answered back less than one minute later. On a free kick opportunity, Alam sent the ball into a scramble in the box, where Ady Gaye was able to knock in the shot to tie the game once again.
Both squads had opportunities in the final 20 minutes, but were unable to convert, sending the game to overtime. In the first overtime period, BMCC nearly scored the golden goal on a header from
Tyreece Parboosingh, but a huge stop from Queensborough’s
Erick Molina Bonilla preserved the 2-2 stalemate. The Panthers continued to pelt the Tigers with shots in the second overtime session, but were unable to end the match, forcing the decisive shootout.
BMCC converted on its first two penalty kick attempts, while stopping the first two of Queensborough to open up a 2-0 advantage. The Panthers went on to score on all four of their tries, including the game-clinching tally from Ady Gaye to secure the victory for BMCC. For his efforts throughout the match, he was named the championship’s Most Valuable Player.
When asked how he kept his team locked in during a battle of attrition, Seck replied: “I told them we need to trust ourselves and trust in the work we do.”
The 2022 NJCAA Region XV Men’s Soccer Tournament is slated for Oct 22 – 29 at Higher Seeds.
“Winning CUNY is good, but it’s time that a CUNY team makes it to nationals, and it starts on Saturday,” said Seck.
2022 CUNYAC Community College Men’s Soccer Championship Game MVP: El Hadji Ady Gaye, BMCC
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