BROOKLYN, NY - The Medgar Evers College men's soccer team played their 2019 home opener against Sarah Lawrence College at Kingsborough Community College on Wednesday, September 4.

The Cougars (0-2-0) fell to the Gryphons (1-1-0) by a final score of 2-1. The margin of defeat matches that of Medgar's last matchup with Sarah Lawrence, a 3-2 road loss on October 10, 2016.

The early parts of the match were evenly-matched, with both sides recording shots on goal and creating chances. In the 20th minute, Sarah Lawrence were awarded a penalty kick, which was saved by goalkeeper James Hyacinthe. However, the referee determined that Hyacinthe stepped forward from the goal line too early, and awarded Sarah Lawrence another try at the penalty kick. The second attempt was again saved by Hyacinthe and the scoreline remained deadlocked.

Eleven minutes later, Sarah Lawrence combined passes off of a short corner kick, and fired home a long-distance shot to take the lead, which they carried into halftime.

The beginning of the second half was intense, with SLC hitting the post a minute after the break, but Medgar's defense resisted the Gryphon pressure. A long punt from Hyacinthe straight down the middle created a chance for MEC which was blocked at the last moment. 

After tense exchanges of words between players on both sides, a Sarah Lawrence defender was caught in possession at the edge of his own box in the 67th minute, and Abdul Conteh stole the ball from him and took a couple of dribbles before calmly slotting home the equalizer into the bottom corner of the net.

After the equalizing goal, the play became more focused and another defensive miscue allowed Medgar a 2-on-1 breakaway in the 78th minute, but the Sarah Lawrence goalkeeper dealt with the situation well. Both teams were creating chances and forcing tough defensive plays.

Finally in the 89th minute, after a long throw-in into the box, Sarah Lawrence were able to score the winning goal after a scrum in the penalty box.

Adeyemi Adeniyi finished with a team-high three shots, while Conteh and Darrell Ambersley recorded two shots on goal apiece. Hyacinthe finished with nine saves on the afternoon.

The Cougars next return to action this Saturday, September 7, against the University of St. Joseph at 3 pm at Kingsborough Community College.