JAMAICA, NY--- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's soccer dug deep against the Lehman College Lightning (4-0-3, 0-0-1 CUNYAC) on Wednesday afternoon. Trailing 1-0 at intermission, the Cardinals executed a perfect second-half gameplan to draw 1-1 in the team's CUNYAC opener at York College Outdoor Athletic Complex. With this draw, it is the first time since 2021 (Sept. 29) against Hunter College where the Cardinals got a result in their conference opener. 

First-Half Breakdown 
Cameron Dennis smashed a 25-yard strike off the crossbar and into the back of the net to give Lehman a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Attempting a response, Derick Aboagye-Frimpong recorded York's first two shots of the match, with the second coming at the 15:04 mark. The Cardinals defended well the rest of the half, and Alexander Cruz (0-0-1), making his season debut in goal, tallied three saves in the frame.

Second-Half Breakdown 
York continued its strong defensive and goalkeeping displays, holding the Lightning to mainly long shots. Coming close, Lehman's Ashraf Abubakar had a well-struck free kick in the 62nd minute, forcing Cruz into a diving save. Turning defense into attack, Andres Castro found Jamar Johnson after a run from the right wing for a tap-in, leveling the score with 15:28 remaining. Both squads had chances to find a winner late on, with Aboagye-Frimpong's header going just wide, and Hameed Gado's close-range shot deflecting off Cruz.

Inside the Box Score
Despite the 1-1 final, Lehman maintained an advantage in shots (25-10), shots on target (8-2), and corners (9-3). Cruz calmed nerves in the Cardinal net, collecting seven saves and claiming numerous crosses. For the Lightning, Matthew Strainz (1-0-1) produced three saves.

Up Next 
The Cardinals (1-3-3, 0-0-1 CUNYAC) continue CUNYAC play Saturday (Oct. 4) with a road matchup against the Medgar Evers College Cougars (1-5-1, 0-0 CUNYAC) starting at 1 p.m. from Randall's Island Field 74.

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