NEW YORK, N.Y.-The Hunter College men's soccer team opened its City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) slate with a 1–1 draw against John Jay College on Wednesday afternoon at Randall's Island, powered by an early goal from sophomore Leonardo Kaplan and a balanced two-way performance across the pitch.
The Hawks (3-4-2, 0-0-1 CUNYAC) wasted no time getting on the board as Bejhon Alerte set up Kaplan with a quick touch at the top of the box in the 7th minute. Kaplan buried the left-footed strike into the corner for his second goal of the season.
John Jay (1-8-1, 0-0-1 CUNYAC) responded in the 20th minute when Alejandro De Jesus converted on a combination play, evening the match at 1–1. Despite the equalizer, Hunter controlled the tempo for much of the match, outshooting the Bloodhounds 20–14 and earning five corner kicks to the visitors' two.
Kaplan led the Hawks with seven shots, two on goal, while Patrick Irving and Brandon Fridburg added three attempts apiece. Alerte recorded an assist and added two shots of his own in a match that featured 37 total shots and multiple late-game chances for both sides.
In goal, Max Tsigalnitsky was once again a steady presence, finishing with seven saves—including a critical stop in the 77th minute to preserve the tie. The Hunter defense, anchored by Conor Sullivan, Abdullah Al Maghrabi, and Samuel Benson, held firm even after John Jay gained momentum following a red card issued to the visitors in the 69th minute.
Hunter continues conference play at Brooklyn College on Oct. 4 for a 12 p.m. kick-off.
