Cardozo sheds Bayside demons

Strange things seemed to happen to Cardozo whenever they traveled across Bayside, down Bell Boulevard, up Corporal Kennedy Street and onto their rivals' soccer field.
The last two seasons the Judges finished a combined 13-8-2, reaching the PSAL Class A quarterfinals last fall. Bayside, on the other hand, was a .500 team at 9-9-5.
It didn't matter. The Commodores topped their local rivals with matching 3-1 triumphs the last two years. This season, Cardozo, off to a 3-0-1 start, appeared to be the class of the division.
But yet again, the Judges were being beaten by Bayside at halftime. Richard Parascos, Cardozo's animated coach, usually resorts to yelling and screaming, pushing and prodding, to wake his team out of a slumber. He threw them a changeup at halftime. &#8220I said ‘you can't beat Bayside. Why don't we call the referees over now, because you can't beat them,' ” he said. &#8220You saw how they responded.”
After 20 more minutes of lifeless play, they suddenly awoke, as if flipping a light switch on, scoring three times in the game's final 18 minutes to snap their personal hex at Bayside, 3-1, Monday afternoon. &#8220It was a big turnaround for us,” the coach said. &#8220We showed a lot of heart.”
James Yim scored a goal and dished out an assist, Luis Molina and Saif Zureikat each added a goal, and Juan Ramirez chipped in with two assists.
The development of Yim, arguably the borough's top playmaker, has Cardozo (4-0-1) flying high. Always a dangerous striker - he netted 15 shots as a sophomore and eight as a junior - the senior center midfielder is slowly becoming a leader, a player that tries to look for teammates as often as he does his own shot.
&#8220He released the ball quicker and set up his teammates and we had scoring from other avenues,” Parascos said. &#8220It wasn't just the James Yim Show.”
&#8220I always encourage people to play together,” Yim added. &#8220I try to boost their confidence up a bit. I have to lead everybody. Everybody is going to follow what the captain does. … He leads a team. I love it, always wanted it.”
Molina tied the game in the 62nd minute, digging out the equalizer in a scrum in front of the Bayside net, but it was Yim who produced the game-winner just four minutes later. After dribbling through a series of Bayside defenders, he drew goalkeeper William Herrera out of the box, then as he stood by the right end-line, Yim sent a perfectly-placed right-footed cross, his secondary foot, to Zureikat, who buried it.
Yim arrived late because he missed lunch and needed a pre-game meal, taking a trip on the Q 31 bus line instead of the team bus. Then he injured his right hip when Bayside defender Angelo Lopez took him out with a slide tackle in the early going. He landed awkwardly and sat for several minutes. Yim's presence, however, was obviously felt by the Commodores (2-3, Queens-A-West) upon his return.