FLUSHING, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2023) – Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) rallied back from a 1-0 first half deficit with three second half goals to defeat Kingsborough Community College (KCC), 3-2, and win the 2023 CUNYAC Community College Men’s Soccer Championship.
In a rematch of Thursday’s regular season finale for both teams that resulted in a 3-1 victory in favor of BMCC, the Panthers turned in a strong second half performance again against the Wave to successfully defend conference bragging rights and win the championship game for a league-best 14th time in school history.
“They played hard. Being down, it takes a lot of character to come back, I’m very happy for them” said head coach Modou Seck.
Kingsborough scored the lone goal of the half in the 19th minute, when Keithland Cesar blasted a beautiful shot over the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper into the net.
BMCC tied the match 1-1 in the 53rd minute. Mamadou Diallo made a touch pass to Mohammed Alghanimi, who finished to the right side of the netting for the equalizer.
The Panthers took the lead in the 59th minute, when Carlos Auquilla sent a long pass to Diallo, who drove the ball into the box before ripping a shot into the net. 28 seconds later, Ademola Opesanwo found the back of the net off an assist from Moussa Diawara to give BMCC a 3-1 advantage.
Kingsborough made it a one-score contest in the 65th minute, thanks to a header inside the box from Theodore Sam.
Abdul Mumin Seidu had a strong outing in net for the Panthers, as Kingsborough outshot BMCC 16-11, including a 10-7 margin on attempts on frame. The keeper made 11 saves in the victory, including eight critical stops in the second half, to preserve the comeback attempt. For his efforts, he was named the championship’s Most Valuable Player.
“Mumin has been our rock for two years now. He deserves everything he’s got. He’s a good goalkeeper and a good kid. I’m so happy he’s with us,” said Seck.
The 2023 NJCAA Region XV Championship is slated to begin on Thursday, Oct. 19. BMCC is the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will host No. 5 Kingsborough in quarterfinal play.