On a day when both teams had to battle the elements as well as each other, the Columbia men’s soccer team lost to Lafayette by a final score of 4-1. The weather at Columbia Soccer Stadium was anything but pleasant, with winds blowing at 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph.

Lafayette got on the board early with a goal at 3:46 by B.J. Glenn off an assist from Shane Pruitt. Glenn got a pass from Pruitt that left him one-on-one with the Columbia goalkeeper Zach Glubiak. Glenn was able to fire it between his legs for his first goal of the night. Pruitt, about 16 minutes after helping his teammate score, was able to get a goal of his own. Pruitt tore through the Columbia defense and tapped the ball into the net, giving Lafayette a 2-0 lead.

Roughly 16 minutes later, Columbia would answer with a goal by Scott Strickland, assisted by Felipe Castrillon. Castrillon fired a perfect cross into the box to Strickland, who headed the ball into the net. Strickland’s goal, which cut the Leopards’ lead to 2-1, was just his second of the season.

However, that was the last goal the Lions would score as they were unable to match the offensive effort of Lafayette in the second half. At 70:40, Andreas Kustas put his team up 3-1 with an unassisted goal. Fourteen minutes later, Glenn would find the back of the net again with his second goal of the game. Glenn, in another one-on-one situation with Glubiak, fired a chip shot over his head to bring the score to 4-1, where it would stay for the remainder of the game.

Offensively, both teams put up nearly the same number of shots, Lafayette’s 10 outnumbering Columbia’s eight. However, the difference came in execution, with Lafayette taking advantage of the opportunities it got. Defensively, Glubiak played the entire game, allowing four goals and two saves. Lafayette’s Andrew Pianko also played the entire game, finishing with one goal allowed and two saves.

Columbia’s next game will be this Saturday at 1 p.m. against Dartmouth. Saturday’s game will be the second-to-last home game of the year and the first of four games against Ivy League opponents to end the season. With four league games to go, the Lions will look to finish the season on a high note with some league victories.