Lehman star skips season at last minute

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It was late Monday afternoon and Lehman College soccer coach Toma Gojcevic had just wrapped up his final practice as the Lightning geared up for their Sept. 1 season opener with Mount St. Vincent.

Gojcevic had reason to be optimistic about the upcoming campaign. Despite being picked sixth in the CUNY Preseason Soccer Preseason Poll, he had one thing the other eight CUNY teams did not — Preseason Player of the Year Essosa Aluyi.

Or so Gojcevic thought.

When Aluyi failed to show up for practice Monday, the coach was concerned. But when Aluyi appeared on campus following the practice to meet with his coach for a brief meeting, Gojcevic’s — and Lehman’s — season took a decided turn for the worse.

Aluyi, who was named the CUNY Player of the Year last season after scoring a conference-best 31 points, including 13 goals in 14 league games, decided he would not be playing this season. Gojcevic never saw this coming.

“I was very angry with him when we spoke,” Gojcevic said. “You don’t wait to tell us that the day before the season starts. He’s not here and I don’t expect him back this year.”

High hopes

Confidence was high this year for the Lightning with Aluyi looking to improve on what was a sensational sophomore season in which he finished first in average goals scored per game (2.21) and third in assists with five. He also led the CUNY with nine goals in eight conference games. On Aug. 25, the conference coaches tabbed Aluyi as the unanimous Preseason Player of the Year and the future at Lehman looked bright.

Now Gojcevic is left to scramble to regroup his team just as the season kicks off.

“He’s a very, very good player so it wasn’t a surprise he was named Preseason Player of the Year,” Gojcevic said. “The coaches recognize talent when they see it. He can score from anywhere on the field. He’s also very good in one-on-one situations. We pretty much built the whole team around him.”

Text messages to Aluyi seeking comment were not returned.

Lehman College, Soccer, Essosa Aluyi, Toma Gojcevic, CUNY, Sean Brennan
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