Men’s soccer drops first two games of 2009 season

The Columbia men’s soccer team competed in the Nike/Duke Classic Tournament in Durham, N.C. this weekend. Columbia faced Duke on Friday and North Carolina State on Sunday, losing both matchups.

The tournament began with a matchup against the Blue Devils that saw junior Bayode Adafin, one of the Lions’ most threatening offensive players, score in the 16th minute off of a rebound. However, Duke evened the score off of a corner kick and a solid shot by senior Matthew Thomas. Sophomore goalkeeper Alexander Aurrichio kept the box on lockdown for the rest of the half, but the Blue Devils took the lead in the second period from a goal by freshman Ryan Finley with about 33 minutes left in the game. Aurrichio had six saves in the 1-2 loss.

In Sunday’s game against NC State, Aurrichio gave another impressive performance by making four saves. However, Wolfpack midfielder Chris Zuerner managed to get the ball by him, ending the stalemate with the only goal of the match and sending NC State to a 1-0 victory. Despite numerous shots by Adafin as well as freshman Will Stamatis, the Wolfpack defense remained strong against the pressure from the Light Blue offense.

While both goalkeeper Aurrichio and senior Ryan Scully were named to the all-tournament team, losing both matches left the Lions disappointed but not pessimistic about the season.

“We came down here with the expectations of coming out of this tournament with at least one win under our belt,” said new Head Coach, Kevin Anderson. “We’re walking away with not accomplishing what we came down here to do.”

“The entire team is doing well,” Anderson added. “They have a great attitude. So right now, we’re all moving in the forward direction and we’re all a bit disappointed after the weekend.”

The Lions’ main problem this past weekend was their inability to net shots. Over the weekend, shots went wide and missed their intended marks. When every shot is an opportunity to even the score or put the team ahead, finding the back of the net is the most important part of the game.

Although the six-foot-two-inch Aurrichio currently dominates the goalkeeping competition and started both games this weekend, both sophomore Zach Glubiak and junior Alex Contratto are poised to step in at any moment. Anderson seems to encourage friendly competition amongst the three goalkeepers.

“I’m not necessarily sure I want any of them to feel as though it’s one against the other,” Anderson said. “I want them to compete and to do well. I want them to do better than guy who was before them.”

Hopefully, this competitive spirit will bring the Lions back to the top of their game in all aspects of play.

Before the season began, junior Peppe Caruntenuto and sophomore Mike Mazzulo were named captains of the 2009-2010 squad.

“They [Caruntenuto and Mazzulo] are two guys that for me from the spring through the summer and now into the season, have lead by example,” Anderson said. “I felt like they were two good representatives for all of us—not only on the field, but in the classroom and in our community.”

The men’s team returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 12 in a match against Long Island University in Brooklyn. While the Lions began winless, they are looking to pick up the pace in the upcoming games.

“I think that you and the rest of our school community will see a team that they’re going to be proud of,” Anderson said. “We have a good group of players, and I’m looking forward to continue to work with them as we grow and develop into the season.”