On Aug. 31, 2019 the Baruch College Bearcats soccer team were shut out — 1-0 — by SUNY Fredonia.
Battling hard throughout the second half, and especially the closing minutes, the Bearcats were unable to compensate their efforts with a game-tying goal. Midfielder Adonis Martinez played well, demonstrating proficient vision and consistently opening up the field for an attack.
The Bearcats look to redeem their efforts on Wednesday, Sept. 4th against St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn at Randall’s Island Field.
In the CUNYAC Coaches’ Preseason Poll, the Bearcats were projected to place first in the CUNY Athletic Conference.
Ricardo Lllanos is a “player to watch” this season. During last season, Llanos was named CUNYAC player of the week. Llanos pairs well with midfielder and forward Cormac Foley.
Foley was a 2018 CUNYAC second team all-star. In addition, Foley was honored with the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week award during the 2017 season.
At Baruch, Foley has been named the September 2017 Athlete of the Month.
After a 2018 season highlighted by a 32-day stretch in which the team won seven of nine games, only losing one.
In that span, they outscored their opponents by a margin of 13 goals. The team looks to capture that same energy this year.
“This year’s team most definitely has the potential to repeat in CUNYAC league again, we’ve been working hard in preseason and I think the results will show on the field,” Assistant Coach Roni Hahitti said, when asked how he feels about the team this year.
“We love that we have Richard Llanos and Shaiem Allah Morad back for another season.
We need to do what we can to avoid complacency and truly make an impact on the national stage.”
Hahitti also added, “Injuries might leave us inhibited, though I think we definitely have the depth to mitigate any negative things that can happen. If we’re going by individual games, then teams like Vassar and NYU will show us how we measure on a national standard. I’m happy with being voted No. 1 in the preseason poll. I take it as the other coaches seeing what we’re doing here and what we hope to achieve.
However, I know of many incidents where the No. 1 preseason team doesn’t win, so it doesn’t mean anything unless we win.”
The next matchup for the soccer team after St. Joseph’s College took place on Sept. 7 against the Sage Colleges. It was the first recorded matchup between the two teams.
This matchup was a non-CUNYAC scrimmage, as the teams are competing for the coveted Alfred Trophy.
Another team that just started its season is the Baruch women’s volleyball team.
On Sept. 5, the Bearcats hosted the SUNY Farmingdale Rams at the Athletic Recreation Center and won in three sets.
It was the season opener for the Bearcats. Captain Stella Chung returned after being selected to the 2018 CUNYAC second all-star team.
Standing at 5 feet, 6 inches tall, Chung is looking to cement her spot as one of the greatest outside hitters to grace Baruch’s floor.
Another asset to the team is outside hitter, Anita Sengara.
Sengara was voted the 2018 CUNYAC first all-star, and she was also named the Baruch women’s volleyball team MVP.
During a match against Colby-Sawyer College last season, Sengara recorded 35 kills, or spikes.
Before transferring to Baruch, Sengara led University of Massachusetts Boston in kills and hitting percentage.
The Bearcats look to build on their performance in the 2018 season, placing fourth in the CUNYAC, and semifinalists in the annual CUNYAC tournament.
The team has placed fourth in CUNYAC league in consecutive seasons, with their most recent divisional championship coming in 2015.
On Sept. 7, the Bearcats visit Rutgers-Newark. All time, Rutgers has not posed a threat to the Bearcats, losing 7 of 10 matchups. The university is 1-3 on the road.