The Medgar Evers College men's soccer team suffered its first setback of the 2026 season on Wednesday evening, falling to Brooklyn College, 5-3, in a CUNYAC matchup at Brooklyn College Field.
The Cougars (5-1-1, 1-1 CUNYAC) came out firing, building a commanding three-goal advantage during an impressive opening half. Kevin Blackstock Jr. opened the scoring just 3:53 into the contest, converting a chance off an assist from Shackoneal Myrurrie to give Medgar Evers an early 1-0 lead.
Myrrurie continued his strong start to the season just minutes later, finding the back of the net in the 12th minute to double the Cougars' advantage. Blackstock Jr. was credited with the assist on the play.
The Cougars extended their edge to 3-0 in the 31st minute when Myrurrie struck again, this time with Blackstock Jr. providing the assist. The two combined for all three Medgar Evers goals in the opening half, with Myrurrie finishing the night with two goals and an assist and Blackstock Jr. recording a goal and an assist.
Brooklyn, however, began to chip away at the deficit late in the first half. Duran Pepic converted a penalty kick in the 43rd minute before Hugo Sauriat scored with just seconds remaining before halftime, trimming the Cougars' advantage to 3-2 at the break.
Medgar Evers was forced to play a man down for much of the second half after Mouhammadou Diallo was shown a red card in the 39th minute. Despite the disadvantage, the Cougars continued to battle and nearly added to their lead early in the second half, with Tajae Campbell forcing a save from Brooklyn goalkeeper Juan Solis Cazares in the 49th minute.
Brooklyn completed the comeback in the 51st minute when Pepic scored his second goal of the evening, bringing the contest level at 3-3.
The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure and eventually took their first lead of the night in the 72nd minute. Sauriat scored his second goal of the contest, putting Brooklyn ahead, 4-3. Gustav Krueger then added an insurance goal in the 80th minute to complete the scoring.
Medgar Evers goalkeeper Vendel Joseph was kept busy throughout the contest, making 10 saves on Brooklyn's 25 shots. The Cougars generated nine shots, placing five on target, while Brooklyn registered 15 shots on goal. Medgar Evers also held a 4-2 edge in corner kicks in the second half, finishing with four corners overall compared to Brooklyn's seven.
Myrurrie led the Cougars offensively with three shots, two goals and an assist, while Blackstock Jr. added two shots, one goal and one assist. Joseph's 10-save performance kept Medgar Evers within striking distance despite Brooklyn's offensive pressure.
Brooklyn improved to 4-2-3 overall with the victory (1-1 in conference action).
The Cougars will look to bounce back immediately when they return to action tomorrow afternoon, October 1, hosting the CCNY Beavers in another CUNYAC matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Red Hook Recreation Center (Field 4).
