In an evenly played game that went into the second overtime session, CSI freshman Lirim Begai scored in the 101st minute to give CSI an exhilarating 3-2 CUNYAC win over Brooklyn College earlier this afternoon at the CSI Soccer Complex. The win lifted CSI to 3-9 overall and 2-2 in the CUNYAC, while Brooklyn fell to 2-6-1, 0-3-1, respectively.
The game statistics told the story fairly accurately, as both teams tallied an identical 22 shots in the game (13-12 on goal in favor of Brooklyn), with the Bridges holding a modest edge in corner kicks, 4-3.
The scoring, meanwhile, went back and forth. It took 24 minutes for the first shot to register. A Duane Heaven cross into the CSI box found a waiting Adley Raymond, who punched the goal in from less than five yards away, giving the Bridges a 1-0 edge at exactly the 24-minute mark. CSI then pressed for an equalizer and got it with just 7:10 left in the first half.
Andriy Sudak raced down the lead hand sideline and put a through ball onto Lirim Begai who raced in another 15 yards and laced a strike into the top left hand corner to tie the score at 1-1. After the first stanza, CSI held an 11-9 advantage in shots, as both goalkeepers made five saves in the half.
In the second half, both teams jockeyed for quality chances, and Brooklyn made one count at the 58:23 mark. This time Raymond was the passer, as a terrific ball found Mack Diller, who was one-on-one with CSI goalie Andrew Brown. Diller won the match-up and punched the goal home, giving the Bridges their second lead of the game, 2-1.
From there, CSI thwarted the Brooklyn counterattack and started to press. Although they were outshot, 10-6, in the half, the Dolphins chose their attacks wisely and finally hit paydirt with 12:59 to play. A shot from the left of the goal by Hanzah Kwanor was blocked away by keeper Azad Kafarov but the rebound landed right on the waiting foot of Sudak of CSI, who drilled the shot in from the right for the rebound goal, tying the score at 2-2.
Both teams had only a handful of chances from there, but ultimately the game went to overtime.
CSI was the attacking team in the first extra session and held a 2-1 shot on goal advantage in the first overtime session. The biggest shot of the overtime came when Begai earned a breakaway against Kafarov, but Kafarov made an outstanding save right at the lip of the 18-yard box to thwart the would-be winner. The game moved into a final 10-minute stanza still tied at 2-2.
After Brooklyn took the first shot attempt of the second overtime, it was CSI’s turn. Senior captain Dimitri Sidiopoulos fed Begai a sterling cross from the right side of the goal mouth. Begai corralled the ball with his right foot and struck it in midair with a picture-perfect bending ball that hit the top shelf of the goal, giving CSI the golden-goal win and sending the players and coaches into a frenzy. The official time of the goal was at the 101:22 mark.
Begai, who earned his first career multi-goal game, had a game-high five shots on goal. Andrew Brown made eight saves for CSI for the win, while Kafarov made eight saves in the loss.
CSI will continue on with their CUNYAC schedule this weekend. The team will travel to Aviator Field in Brooklyn to take on Medgar Evers College at 2pm. Before that game the CSI women will face Medgar Evers at 12 Noon.