JAMAICA, NY--- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) Buoyed by three first-half goals, York College men's soccer emerged victorious 3-2 in a CUNYAC matchup against the Baruch College Bearcats (1-4-4, 0-1-2 CUNYAC) from York College Outdoor Athletic Complex. Today marks the program's first victory against Baruch College since October 2011. Additionally, it is the first time the Cardinals have scored three goals in a half since September 2023 at Maritime College. 

First-Half Breakdown
Ernest Bawilliam capitalized on a Bearcat mistake to give York a 1-0 advantage in the 13th minute. The Cardinals doubled their lead at the 20:58 mark after Derick Aboagye-Frimpong headed home a beautiful cross from Jason Valeriano. Baruch pulled one back 64 seconds later when Andreas Kotronis slotted home a penalty. York defended well the rest of the frame, rarely allowing the Bearcats clean looks on goal and blocking any half-chance they had. Christopher Garcia restored York's two-goal edge with a thunderbolt from the edge of the 18-yard box one minute from intermission. 
This strike turned out to be Garcia's first career game-winning goal. 

Second-Half Breakdown 
The Cardinals continued to stifle Baruch's attack, not allowing a shot-on goal for the first 25:12. Before then, York even came close to adding a fourth, as shots by Bawiliam and Andres Castro went narrowly wide. Goalkeeper George Molina (2-3-2) returned to the lineup to help the Cardinal cause, parrying Rayan Vukovic's close-range effort wide in the 72nd minute. Searching for a way back, Kotronis grabbed the Bearcats' second goal with a penalty eight minutes before the final whistle. Hitting Baruch on the counter, Luis Delgadillo's great pressing won York a penalty at the 87:22 mark. However, Aboagye-Frimpong blazed the ensuing attempt over the bar, keeping the final score at 3-2. 

Inside the Box Score
Beyond the result, Baruch had the advantage in shots (20-12), shots on target (8-3), and corners (6-4). In net, Molina provided calmness with six saves and a number of brave claims. Dzmitry Piatrashka (0-3-4) took the loss for the Bearcats.

Up Next 
The Cardinals (3-3-3, 2-0-1 CUNYAC) look to keep momentum going Saturday (Oct. 11) with a CUNYAC contest against the Hunter College Hawks (3-5-2, 0-1-1 CUNYAC) starting at 12 p.m. from Randall's Island (Field 70).

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