Lightning Strikes Again as Lehman Claims CUNYAC Soccer Title
Caption: Players celebrating with Muneum Alhassan (number 22), the goalscorer of the match, after the fi nal whistle (Photo Credit: Adolfo Miliano)
By: Dylan Febus
Three years after taking their last title, the Lehman Men’s Soccer Team won their 5th collective CUNYAC championship after defeating the City College of New York (CCNY) in the final on Nov. 8 at York College. A single goal was scored by Muneum Alhassan in the 70th minute, which was all the team needed to take home the win.
“We were all locked in. We fought so hard to reach this game,” said Ashraf Abubakar, the highest goal scorer for the men’s team in 2025 with 6 goals and 1 assist to his name. “It’s my first season, and I’m the top scorer. I am happy. I didn’t reach it because it was only me; it was all teamwork.”
Led by coach Toma Gojcevic, the team has made it to four overall finals in the last 5 years and won 2 of them. The Lightning’s record in the 2025 season was 10 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, and their CUNYAC record was 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. The Lightning also had the best defensive record of the season, with only 12 goals conceded throughout the championship, while the highest goal contributor on the team was Brandon Dennis, with 3 goals and 4 assists.
Brandon and his twin brother, Cameron, spoke about their contributions to the team’s win. “I have to give all my praise to my teammates,” Brandon said. “All I do is ensure that, as a team, we are doing well. I just want to see the team be successful.”
Cameron doubled down on his brother’s claim about the team’s chemistry. “To be honest, this team has been one of the best teams I’ve been in since I’ve been at Lehman.” These points by the Dennis brothers demonstrate the heart and system of the Lightning, combining the team’s chemistry and work ethic into being the best team they could be.
The MVP of the championship match was awarded to defender Lance Brdaric, an international student from Düsseldorf, Germany. “This [win] is not because of me; this is because of the whole team,” he said. “This is just the reflection of the entire squad. I am happy about it, but this has nothing to do with me specifically; this is all the team.” Like his teammates, Brdaric made it clear that the Lightning’s combined effort and dedication are what
led to the win. He added, “Coach ‘G’ is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. He brought me here. He’s the reason why I am here, and I couldn’t be happier today.”
Toma Gojcevic is the head coach of both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Lehman and the person responsible for this year’s championship. After achieving his 4th title with the men’s team since joining the squad in 2014, Gojcevic credited the team for the hard work they put in. “We have a great balance in the team; there are no issues, everybody loves everybody, everybody pushes one another, and it’s been a really special year.”
Their job wasn’t finished, however, as their next objective of emerging victorious in the 1st round of the NCAA Division III Tournament had yet to be accomplished. No CUNY soccer team has made it past the first round of the NCAA tournament, and this has been Gojcevic’s goal since the start of the season. “The first time we met as a team to practice, we sat down for 15–20 minutes: our goal was to get to that final, win the final and get into the NCAA tournament,” Gojcevic said.
The Men’s Soccer team ended their season Nov. 15 after falling short to Wesleyan University in the NCAA Tournament. Although their objective of clearing the first round of the NCAA wasn’t reached, the Lightning will be the team to beat next season as they defend their CUNYAC title.