Men's Soccer Returns After West-Coast Swing

Coming off of its first positive result of the season last weekend in California, the Columbia men’s soccer team will look to build on its momentum today against Central Connecticut State as the squad enters the home stretch of its nonconference schedule.
Head coach Leo Chappel has made it a priority for the team to play top competition as preparation for conference play. The result of his effort is the toughest Columbia schedule in years. One of the toughest games on that schedule was last weekend’s trip to southern California, during which the team demonstrated the pro gress Chappel had been longing to see.

Against the defending national champion University of California Santa Barbara Gauchos, the Lions kept the game in reach for much of the first half until UCSB scored two late goals to go up 3-1. The second half saw dominance from the Gauchos, but it was the strong play in the first half that had the Lions thinking positively.

In its second match, the Light Blue was able to tie a Loyola Marymount University team that was coming off an upset of sixth-ranked Harvard, filling the holes in defense to force a scoreless draw.

Columbia will have an opportunity to pick up its first victory of the season today, catching Central Connecticut State in a downturn. The Blue Devils are currently mired in a two-match losing streak, having lost contests at Vermont and Marist to drop to 2-4-0 overall. Offense has been sparse for CCSU, as the team has scored just five goals in six matches.

The Light Blue will still have to watch out for Swedish forward Johan Rundquist, who has contributed two of those five goals. Also of note on the Blue Devils is their stout defense, which has allowed little more than a goal per contest.

Players to watch for on offense for the Lions include freshman forward Bayo Adafin, who has come close to scoring multiple times this season, and upperclassmen mainstays Tom Davison, Tom Smith, and Tom Heinbockel.

Action begins at 7 p.m. at Columbia Soccer Stadium.