A Glimpse of Next Season

As most of the world's soccer seasons wind down, Columbia's is just getting going-five months before the Lions' first Ivy League game.

Too often, Columbia has come into its spring games trying to erase memories of the last fall. After going 0-5-2 in conference play and 7-8-2 overall, this April is no different. And last weekend's 5-0 victory over the University of Bridgeport should go a long way toward helping them get past a dismal 2006 campaign.

There is a renewed sense of purpose about the squad that will carry the Lions through 2007. A simple look at last Saturday's scoresheet speaks volumes about the balance-and confidence-of next year's team.

It was a freshman, Ryan Scully, who put Columbia ahead in the first half. He had shown flashes of brilliance in the early parts of last year, but never cracked the first team on a regular basis. Another solid performance in tomorrow's 60-minute contests against Fordham and Mercer Community College should give him something to point to when the first team selection rolls around in August. Steven Keker, another freshman who saw little playing action in 2006, made a similar case for himself by notching the game's second goal.

But the most impressive pair by far was the experienced tandem of James Pounder and Tom Davison.

Over the past two seasons, the 6-foot-3-inch Pounder has anchored the central defense and provided a threat in opposing penalty areas on set pieces. Despite an inconsistent start to his collegiate career, he appeared in a fair number of games through 2005-his freshman year and coach Dieter Ficken's final season-and held onto his spot in the starting eleven when Leo Chappel took over the program. Pounder, who contributed a goal against Bridgeport, will be a crucial element in the 2007 squad and will be expected to provide hard-nosed leadership from the back.

Meanwhile, the performance of striker Tom Davison, who scored two goals in the afternoon, showed that he may be set to return to the form of his freshman season. That year, he led the Lions with five goals and was the most proficient freshman in the Ivy League. A slump in his sophomore year kept his tally at zero, but he gave the impression that he was on the way back last season before the Lions ground to a halt.

With a balance of experience and youth, as well as power at the front and at the back, Columbia can only improve. Of course, a single Ivy victory should not be out of the Lions' reach, particularly after some of the unlucky breaks that snatched results out from under them last year. Predictably, they'll be aiming a little higher than that.

Still, there are many more hurdles in store for Columbia before the players even begin the 2007 season. First, they must see out the rest of the summer with informal practices, balanced with internships and a personal efforts to stay fit. The latter is especially important to the physical style played by most Ivy teams. Chappel, who constantly preaches the gospel of fitness to his team, knows that any concession in that department can easily turn a game for the worse.

The spring contests, however, provide an encouraging glimpse at a team that will not be shy of pushing its limits next year. The schedule features two sides who made the Final Four of the 2006 men's soccer tournament in the University of Virginia and University of California at Santa Barbara, where Chappel was an assistant.

The men's season may not start until September, but the building blocks of that season have already been laid. And where the team stands in November will depend on these first crucial days in April.