Fairleigh-Dickinson Stuns Lions Men's Soccer With Narrow Overtime Defeat

The Columbia men's soccer team lost 2-1 to Farleigh-Dickinson University on Tuesday afternoon, pulling its record down to 4-3-2 (1-1 Ivy). The loss was disappointing, especially since Columbia was highly favored and the team was rolling off of a huge victory against Penn at Homecoming over the weekend.

"There are definitely some games where our engines are revving to go and things are clicking, and then there are some games where we are just sort of bad," junior co-captain midfielder Mike Ching said. "Consistency is important, and we are not there yet."

Farleigh Dickinson's defensive approach to the game was unorthodox but obviously successful. The team positioned most of its midfielders--along with all of its defenders--in the 18-yard box, thus reducing Columbia's chances of penetrating its defenses and scoring.

"I was surprised by their defensive approach," junior co-captain midfielder David Duffy said. "They came out today very defensive-minded, and they did the job well."

Columbia's usually potent offense was given breathing room against Farleigh-Dickinson from afar, but whenever the Lions closed in on their target, they were stifled by FDU's defensive strategy.

"For the first five minutes of the game, they barely left their 18-yard box," Ching said. "They packed their players in there so tight. We had so much space and time, but the second we started getting the ball near the goal there were a thousand defenders there."

FDU broke the Lions' offensive dominance in a surprise counterattack about 20 minutes into the game.

"We had a defensive lapse, and they scored on a counterattack," Ching said. "We were just like, 'Oh my gosh, what is going on?"'

Not only was Columbia caught off guard against its opponent, but the Lions also began the game with a lax attitude that reflected their satisfaction with their last game against Penn.

"We had a very poor showing," Duffy said. "The attitude we had was that we could just walk over this team without having to play hard, and Farleigh Dickinson stood tough. They played their block defense, and they held it strong."

Echoing Duffy's statements, Ching added, "I think the guys were not as excited after our big win against Penn. We felt sluggish, and the team intensity wasn't really there. We played them in the spring and we killed them [5-2], and so we were expecting a pretty easy game."

For the majority of the game, the Lions couldn't find the back of the net, but late in the second half, outstanding senior forward Jon Mycroft was able to foil FDU's scheme and crossed the ball into Ching, who volleyed the ball into the goal, tying the game up 1-1. The score remained that way until the second half of overtime, when Columbia's strong defense saw a ricocheted shot bounce into the net, and the Lions left the field with their tails between their legs.

"I was so annoyed at what had happened," Duffy said. "Now we have to win the next six games. We have to take each game as it comes and remember to start each game with the right attitude. We have to treat every game like it's an Ivy League game."

With only six games remaining in the regular season for Columbia, the Lions are looking up at some formidable foes in the standings. Harvard, Yale, and Cornell are all awaiting a match with the Lions after the Light Blue faces Dartmouth this Sunday.

"Every game is a big match now. We strive to keep the intensity, and we think we can defeat anyone. We have to bring all of our skills to the pitch from now on," Duffy said.

Indeed, every game bears a huge significance on the Lions' NCAA Tournament hopes, beginning with the Dartmouth match in Hanover, N.H., on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.