Men's Soccer Season Finishes With Double-Overtime Loss to Brown

It was a bittersweet season finale for the Columbia men’s soccer team, as the winless Lions battled undefeated Brown to a heartbreaking double-overtime loss at Baker Field, 3-2.

Two seniors, Chris Wales and Tom Davison, provided the goals for Columbia, which honored its senior class in a ceremony before the start of the game. But their efforts were not enough to overcome the newly-crowned Ivy League champions, who came from behind to ensure the Lions would go winless in the conference for the second straight year.

The Lions operated in a straight 4-4-2 in the first half, and the formation suited them well. Wales was effective in attack, checking back from his forward position to find the ball and hold up play, while classmate David Druckman put in an admirable two-way performance on the right side of midfield.

Columbia’s synergetic play early on successfully stymied the attack of an athletically gifted Brown side.

“We let them build a bit, and then tried to frustrate them,” head coach Leo Chappel said . “We were organized, and everyone was picked up.”

Columbia dodged a bullet, though, in the 16th minute, when Brown’s Nick Elenz-Martin banged a shot off the right post from 20 yards out.

The Lions answered with a golden chance of their own four minutes later, when junior Patrick Huston lofted a perfect chip from his right back position to Tom Davison, whose header was parried over the crossbar by Brown keeper Paul Grandstrand.

Grandstrand had no chance, however, on the Lions’ next effort in the 24th minute. An interchange on the left side between Steven Keker and Davison allowed the latter to drive a low cross into the box and find a streaking Wales, who timed a perfect run into the area before lashing a one-timer into the net.

“We had some nice work down the side, and Tommy D. played a fantastic cutback to me,” Wales said, of his first goal of the season. “It’s been a frustrating year for me, missing a lot of games, so it was a nice feeling.”

The Bears looked purposeful in the second half, peppering the Lions’ goal with one attempt after another. In the 52nd minute, Druckman cleared a dangerous ball off the line, and five minutes later keeper Michael Testa made two consecutive saves off point-blank Bears headers.

Brown finally broke through in the 65th minute, when Elenz-Martin whipped a ball into the box from the right side and Jon Okafor volleyed just inside the near post to equalize. Eight minutes later, the Bears capitalized on a bungled Lions clearance to take the lead. Junior James Pounder mismanaged a cross 10 yards from goal, and Brown’s T.J. Thompson pounced on the loose ball, scoring easily to make it 2-1.

But the Lions were undeterred. Taking the ball on the sideline just beyond midfield, sophomore Ryan Scully launched a diagonal ball into the box and found Davison, who coolly flicked a header past the oncoming keeper to tie the score.

“Tommy D. was tremendous for us all game, and that was just another great goal for him.” Chappel said.

In overtime, both sides came out favoring pride over prudence and looking for a win. But, even though play moved quickly from end to end, neither team found net in the first period.

The Lions looked certain, then, to take a point from the match after Testa made an impossible save in the third minute of the second overtime, diving in full stretch to his right to dig out a ball destined for the bottom corner of the goal to preserve the stalemate.

But with just over two minutes left to play, the Bears snatched the win. David Walls sent a corner kick into the box from the right side, and as Testa rose to punch it clear, Okafor snuck his head in to claim the winning goal.

“There was a lot of guys crowded in the box, and I just got a touch on it,” Testa said. “I’m not going to say I got fouled. It’s a corner kick, and that stuff goes on in the box.”

Emotions were mixed after the game, as the Columbia players rued the missed opportunity to upset the champions.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys that worked hard till the very last minutes of the season,” Testa said. “It was a good game. Disappointing for sure, but I’m proud of our guys.”