No. 25 Men’s Soccer Ties No. 12 Fairfield in OT

The men’s soccer team played 12th ranked Fairfield to a 0-0 draw
on Tuesday night at Baker Field. The squad played its eighth
overtime game of the season, and there was a notable difference
between the quality of play in overtime and regulation.

“We actually had a pretty good performance,” sophomore
midfielder Tommy McMenemy said. “We got the ball moving, and
our offense was a lot more fluid than it has been for most of the
season so far.”

The Light Blue midfielders and forwards created quite a few
opportunities for themselves during regulation time, but simply
could not capitalize on their chances.

“We weren’t clinical enough,” McMenemy said. “We put more shots
on goal than they did, but we had a little trouble putting the ball in
the back of the net. Throughout regulation we dominated and were
pretty aggressive.”

Overtime, however, signaled a change in priorities for the Lions
and their team responded accordingly.

“We played a bit more defensively than we should have in
overtime, but the end was a pretty good result for us,” McMenemy
said. “We aren’t unhappy about the results, but in overtime we
slipped into a defensive mode because we wanted to preserve our
realistic chance of qualifying for the NCAAs by not losing.”

The Lions team is notorious for lacking some essential focus for
their mid-week games, but to their credit, they came out ready to
play against Fairfield only two days after defeating Yale in double
overtime. While the offense continuously tried to put one ball past
the goalie, the strong defense frustrated their opponents time and
again.

“They didn’t have any really open chances,” McMenemy said. “But
we were strong enough to push them back. Mike Ewers was his
usual outstanding self, making five or six crucial stops. The
midfielders and the forwards were able to focus on scoring
because they knew they had three good defenders and a great
goalie behind them.”

It seemed unanimous among the Lions last night that, defensively,
the squad had played an outstanding match against a tough
offensive team.

“Defensively, every single player on our team defends. We don’t let
a lot of players through to score, and we stop them from having the
opportunity to score,” junior co-captain David Duffy said. “I definitely
think that our defense is one of our biggest strengths.”

Fairfield’s forwards and midfielders did penetrate Columbia’s
vaunted defense a few times, but each time they were rudely
reacquainted with Columbia’s senior goalkeeper Ewers.

The Lions will next face Harvard on Saturday at Baker Field. The
game is a showdown of competitive Ivy teams, and the winner will
have an edge for earning the automatic berth into the NCAA
tournament, awarded annually to the Ivy League champion.

The matchup seemingly could not come at a better time for the
Lions. Columbia is starting to knock the ball around the field with
not only precision, but with an ever-improving focus and
enthusiasm that they lacked in the early-going.

“We are becoming the team of the moment and I can’t really see
them beating us,” McMenemy said. “We have a great team spirit
this year, from the boys on the bench up through the starters, and
everyone gets excited and wants to help everyone work and
improve.”