NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Hunter College men's soccer team saw its two-game winning streak come to an end Thursday afternoon, falling to Albertus Magnus, 6-5, in a high-scoring nonconference matchup at Randall's Island. The Hawks moved to 2-5-1 on the season.
Hunter's offense came out firing, scoring four times in the opening 45 minutes. Fernando Zuvela opened the scoring in the 18th minute, finishing a chance created by Jaerang Lee to put the Hawks ahead, 1-0. Less than two minutes later, Yassine Jaballah set up Andre Baraglia for his second goal in as many games and a 2-0 Hunter advantage.
The Hawks continued to apply pressure as Georgios Tsiakas extended the lead in the 33rd minute. Michael Verdov and Baraglia combined to set up Tsiakas for his second goal of the season, giving Hunter a 3-0 advantage.
After Albertus Magnus (5-4-2) converted a penalty kick, Hunter responded in the 39th minute. Lee put an attempt on target that was saved before Luciano Aguirre found the back of the net moments later, restoring a three-goal advantage at 4-1. A late goal cut Hunter's lead to 4-2 entering halftime.
Albertus Magnus rallied after the break, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 5-4 advantage in the 66th minute. Max Tsigalnitsky helped keep the Hawks within striking distance, making several key stops during the second half as Hunter looked to respond.
The Purple and Gold found an equalizer in the 82nd minute, once again through Zuvela. Jaballah provided his second assist of the afternoon, setting up the defender for his second goal of the match to even the score at 5-5. Albertus Magnus answered just over a minute later, however, retaking the lead at 6-5.
Hunter continued to battle through the final whistle but was unable to find another equalizer. Zuvela led the Hawks with two goals on two shots, while Baraglia finished with a goal and an assist. Jaballah recorded two assists, and Lee, Verdov and Baraglia each helped create scoring opportunities with an assist.
The Hawks finished with 10 shots, putting seven on goal, while Tsigalnitsky recorded seven saves across 90 minutes in goal.
Hunter resumes conference play on Oct. 3 as they host York on Randall's Island at 12 p.m.
