The Lehman College women’s soccer team clinched third place in the CUNY Athletic Conference regular season by defeating visiting John Jay College 2-0 on Lehman’s South Field on Saturday afternoon.
Lehman (5-6 overall, 3-3 CUNYAC) could possibly wind up tied with either Brooklyn College or John Jay in the standings, but by virtue of head-to-head wins, Lehman has the tie breaker over both schools.
The first half saw both teams feeling each other out, with both sides taking runs at the goal. Through the first 45 minutes, neither team would score, though JJC did hold a 6-2 advantage in shots, and a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
But the second half saw Lehman find its way. In the 66th minute, captain Samantha Dias (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot) took an the initial shot on goal, which was saved by the John Jay keeper. But the rebound popped out in front, where Valeria Benalcazar (Bronx, NY/Columbus) was waiting, and Lehman led 1-0.
An insurance goal came with less than four minutes to play, when Tiffany Altamirano (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) took a shot that caromed off the crossbar, then off the far post, and into the goal.
For the game, freshman keeper Melanie Varillas (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) made four saves for Lehman, while her JJC counterpart, Andrea Antoni, made one stop.
Lehman has now concluded conference play, yet has four more regular season matches. Up next, Lehman will host Brooklyn College in a non-conference match on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, at 4:00 p.m.