The Columbia men’s soccer team will have its final chance to prove itself in front of a home crowd when it faces Cornell on Saturday.
In its penultimate game last season, the Light Blue suffered a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Big Red after two periods of overtime. Columbia was able to hold its own for much of the game, shutting out Cornell for the entire first half.
The Big Red broke the scoreless tie in the 49th minute with a goal by midfielder Brian Kuritzky. Six minutes later, Columbia sophomore Steven Keker evened the score with the first of his two goals of the game.
Cornell’s Matt Bouraee scored on Brian Donovan’s assist, putting the Big Red up 2-1.
Once again, Keker followed up with the equalizer—this time, only a minute later. The two teams maintained a 2-2 tie from the 69th minute until overtime.
This year, Cornell is ranked last in the Ivy League with a current record of 0-6-0 in conference play and 1-14-0 overall.
Although the Lions should by no means become complacent, they have every reason to go into this game confidently and without reservation.
The key to Saturday’s game, as it has been for the entire season, is defense.
Time and again, Columbia has gotten off to a good start offensively and then fallen behind later as the defense sagged.
Last week’s match at Harvard is a prime example. Sophomore Bayo Adafin put the Light Blue up 1-0 early on, but the team was unable to maintain the advantage.
After Crimson striker Baba Omosegbon scored the equalizer in the 32nd minute, it was a one-sided affair.
Only a few minutes later, Harvard senior John Stamatis followed up with another goal after receiving a pass from all-American Andre Akpan.
With a one-goal lead at the end of the first half, Harvard proceeded to score four more goals in the second half, making the final tally 6-1.
The Lions have proven their ability to be aggressive on offense and score first. It is of the utmost importance that they lock down on defense and do not allow the Big Red to get onto the scoreboard.
Columbia is looking to finish strong after a difficult season. It is an especially big night for the team’s four seniors—Felipe Castrillon, James Pounder, Shaun Rowatt, and Scott Strickland (who has not gotten into a match this year due to an ankle injury)—as this game at the Columbia Soccer Stadium on Saturday will be their swansong.
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