Men's Soccer Plays to 1-1 Draw With Berkeley (N.Y.); Bears Still Control Tournament Fate

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Needing one win in their final two games to clinch a spot in their first ever Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Tournament, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's soccer team tied Berkeley College, 1-1, on Wednesday night at Aviator Sports and Events Center.

The tie was the first in Bears (6-6-1, 2-2-1 HVIAC) history and the first time in four meetings that the Knights (5-10-1, 3-2-1 HVIAC) haven't won, the previous encounters decided by five or more goals.

On a cold and rainy night, the teams remained scoreless after 45 minutes of play, but the Knights scored first just 50 seconds into the second stanza on a Johan Hildingsson goal, just one of two shots for the Knights in the period.

The Bears, who could have finished in second place with two wins, took to the offensive looking for the equalizer and outshot Berkeley, 17-2, in the half and maintained a 9-1 corner kick discrepancy. Reigning HVIAC Player of the Week Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) leveled the game in the 68th minute, scoring his eighth of the season, and neither team would find the back of the net for the remainder of the contest.

In the extra periods, St. Joseph's held a 4-1 shot advantage, but couldn't put any on frame, and finished the contest with a 27-8 shot disparity.

The Bears still control their tournament fate needing a win or tie in their regular season finale against Vaughn on Saturday. With a win, St. Joseph's will finish in third place and will head to No. 2 Albany Pharmacy for a semifinal on Sunday. With a tie, the Bears will take fourth place and head to No. 1 Culinary for a Sunday semifinal.

Saturday's game against Vaughn will kick off at 1 p.m. at Queens College.