The Medgar Evers College Cougars battled the Lehman College Lightning to a scoreless draw Tuesday evening in a CUNYAC matchup at Lehman's South Field in the Bronx. Both teams created opportunities throughout the 90-minute contest, but neither side was able to find the back of the net.
The Cougars and Lightning traded opportunities during an evenly contested opening half. Lehman goalkeeper Matthew Strainz stopped Shackoneal Myrurrie's attempt in the 21st minute, while Medgar Evers goalkeeper Vendel Joseph made saves on shots from Ibrahim Kone and Ashraf Abubakar during the opening stages of the contest.
Medgar Evers continued to generate chances as the half progressed. Myrurrie tested Strainz again in the 22nd minute, while Mouhammadou Diallo and Ronldy Jean Pierre also registered attempts. The Cougars earned three corner kicks during the opening half, but Lehman's defense kept the match scoreless heading into halftime.
The second half saw both teams continue to battle for the breakthrough. Joseph remained steady in goal for the Cougars, making a series of important saves, including stops on shots by Munem Alhassan and Osmar Mendez. Lehman also had several opportunities in front of goal, but the Cougars' defensive effort prevented the Lightning from capitalizing.
Medgar Evers created some of its best chances late in the match. Myrurrie forced Strainz into saves in the 69th and 87th minutes, while Diallo also put a shot on target in the 76th minute. The Cougars earned four corner kicks in the second half and continued pressing for a game-winning goal during the closing minutes.
The match became increasingly physical down the stretch. Medgar Evers' Shammar Edwards was issued a red card in the 78th minute, leaving the Cougars to finish the contest a player down. Despite the disadvantage, Medgar Evers remained organized defensively and held Lehman without a goal through the final whistle.
Joseph turned in an impressive performance between the pipes, recording six saves while securing the shutout. Strainz also posted a shutout for Lehman with four saves. The Cougars finished the match with 10 shots, including four on goal, while Lehman recorded 15 shots and six shots on target. Medgar Evers held a 7-6 advantage in corner kicks.
With the draw, the Cougars move to 6-1-2 overall and 2-1-1 in CUNYAC play.
Medgar Evers will return to action on Wednesday, October 14, when the Cougars take on the John Jay College Bloodhounds at Randall's Island's No. 74 field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
