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CUNYAC title match
2
Medgar Evers MEDGAR (9-3-3, 3-3-1)
2
John Jay JJC (9-7-2, 4-3-1)
Medgar Evers MEDGAR
(9-3-3, 3-3-1)
2
Final
2
John Jay JJC
(9-7-2, 4-3-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Medgar Evers MEDGAR 1 1 0 0 2
John Jay JJC 1 1 0 0 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Men's soccer team's bid for first CUNYAC crown since 2002 falls just short as Bloodhounds defeat Cougars in Penalty Kicks

The Medgar Evers College men's soccer team came within 9:16 of capturing its first CUNYAC title since 2002, but it was not to be as John Jay netted the equalizer late in regulation before eventually winning the championship in penalty kicks. The Cougars dropped to 10-3-3 with the result, while the Bloodhounds won their first conference crown since 2019, and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament, with the brackets to-be-announced in the coming days.

John Jay opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Alejandro De Jesus netted his first goal of the season to give the Bloodhounds a 1-0 advantage. Medgar Evers answered in the 32nd minute as CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Shackoneal Myrurrie scored his 16th goal of the season off an assist from Kevin Blackstock Jr., sending the teams into halftime deadlocked at one goal apiece.

The Cougars took their first lead of the contest in the 63rd minute when Blackstock Jr. scored his eighth goal of the season, with Myrurrie providing the assist. 

John Jay responded in the 81st minute when Daniel Mansur scored his second goal of the season.  An initial shot by Sebastian Leja was stopped by MEC keeper Vendel Joseph, but Mansur knocked home the rebound to even the score at 2-2. 

The teams remained deadlocked through two 10-minute overtime periods. Medgar Evers registered three shots during the extra sessions, while John Jay recorded three attempts in the second overtime period.

In the penalty-kick shootout, both teams missed their opening attempts before John Jay's Petur Larusson and Medgar Evers' Shammar Edwards converted in the second round. Mansur scored in the third round to give the Bloodhounds a 2-1 advantage, while Rossi-levin stopped Medgar Evers' third attempt. Helmer Herrera then converted John Jay's fourth attempt to extend the lead to 3-1. Rossi-levin came up with another save on Mamadou Seye in the fourth round to clinch advancement for the Bloodhounds.

Both teams finished with 17 shots, with Medgar Evers holding a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal. John Jay held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks. John Jay goalkeeper Davio Rossi-levin was named Championship Most Valuable Player after registering five saves and making a pair of saves during the penalty kick shootout.  He also recorded shutouts in the first round and the semifinals of the CUNYAC Championship. For MEC, Joseph recorded two saves on the morning.

Despite the Cougars coming up short of a conference crown, the team still had plenty to be proud of on the journey. Medgar Evers had lost all seven of its CUNYAC matches a season ago, before the appointment of Head Coach Kevin Blackstock spearheaded a program resurgence. MEC earned 10 victories on the 2026 campaign, earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2015, and qualified for the CUNYAC title match for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century (24 years). The Cougars solidified themselves as a prolific team that poised to challenge for many City Collegiate Conference crowns in the future. The new conference branding is set to launch on July 1, 2027. 
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