BRONX, N.Y. — The fifth-seeded Hunter College men's soccer team fell in the opening round of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship, 2-1, to No. 4 Lehman College on Thursday afternoon at South Field.

The match began with a slow but physical pace as both teams looked to establish control. Lehman broke through in the 39th minute with a penalty kick goal, sending the Hawks into halftime trailing 1-0. Despite the deficit, Hunter generated several attacking chances, with rookies Brandon Fridburg and Georgios Tsiakas each recording shots on goal. Goalkeeper Matthew Fridburg made four saves in the opening half to keep the Hawks within reach.

In the early minutes of the second half, Lehman extended its lead with a rebound goal following an initial one-handed save from M. Fridburg. The Hawks continued to push forward, eventually drawing a penalty in the 56th minute. B. Fridburg converted the opportunity, calmly slotting home his second goal of the season and bringing Hunter back within one.

The Purple and Gold outshot their opponent 7-6 on goal and earned six corners, with B. Fridburg leading all players with five shots on target. Patrick Irving showcased sharp footwork in the midfield, while Allan Conway and Fernando Zuvela made key stops along the backline to keep the match within reach.

Hunter pressed forward in the final moments but was unable to find the equalizer, closing out the 2025 campaign with a 5-7-4 overall record and a 2-3-3 mark in CUNYAC play.