NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Hunter College men's soccer team earned its first win of the season Wednesday afternoon, defeating John Jay, 1-0, in its home and City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) opener at Randall's Island. The victory moves the Hawks to 1-4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Bloodhounds sit at 4-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
After a scoreless opening half, Hunter increased the pressure offensively after the break, producing eight of its 13 shots in the final 45 minutes. Jacob Davis put an early second-half attempt on goal, while Georgios Tsiakas and Abdullah Al Maghrabi helped generate additional chances as the Hawks searched for the breakthrough.
The difference came in the 75th minute when Jaerang Lee found the back of the net for his first goal of the season. Yassine Jaballah set up the play for his first assist of the year, as Lee's strike put Hunter ahead, 1-0.
Matthew Fridburg anchored the Hawks on the other end with a standout performance in goal. Fridburg turned away all nine shots he faced to record the shutout, including six saves in the second half. He made back-to-back stops just moments before Hunter's go-ahead goal and added another save in the 86th minute to preserve the lead.
Hunter continued to create opportunities after taking the advantage. Luciano Aguirre put an attempt on target in the 81st minute, while Jaballah forced another save in the 89th as the Hawks looked to add to their lead.
Tsiakas led Hunter with three shots, while Davis and Aguirre added two apiece. The Hawks finished with 13 total attempts, including five on goal, while the Hunter defense held strong to secure its first clean sheet and first victory of the season.
The Hawks continue thier season on Sept. 26 as the squad travels to Lehman for a 12 p.m. kick-off.
