Men's Soccer Travels North to Face No. 15 Dartmouth on Saturday
10/22/2009 2:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEW YORK -- The Columbia University men's soccer team will travel to Hanover, N.H., on Saturday to take on No. 15 Dartmouth in an Ivy League matchup. The contest against the Big Green will mark the fifth time the Lions have a faced an opponent ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Columbia University men's soccer team took on Villanova on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference matinee. The Lions saw the Wildcats take an early lead in the 13th minute and couldn't quite take advantage of a few scoring chances in the second half in a 1-0 defeat.
SERIES HISTORY
Dartmouth leads the series 24-19-7, dating all the way back to 1960. Away from the City of New York, Columbia has come away with seven victories in 25 attempts including its most recent win over the Big Green, a 2-1 decision in 2003.
LAST SEASON VS. DARTMOUTH
Columbia scored in the final minutes of play, but it was not enough as Dartmouth's Lucky Mkosana's two second-half goals proved to be the difference, as the Lions fell to the Big Green, 3-1. With just under three minutes to play, Columbia was awarded a corner kick.
Peter Morice sent a ball into the box where senior Scott Strickland was able to redirect the ball with a header, but Dartmouth's goalkeeper punched the ball over the crossbar, giving the Lions a second chance.
This time, Columbia was able to convert. Morice once again sent a beautiful ball into the middle of the box where Felipe Castrillon collected it and perfectly placed a low shot to the corner, pulling the Lions within two.
SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN
With a perfect 3-0-0 record in Ivy League play, Dartmouth sits atop the Ancient Eight with nine points and holds an 8-3-1 overall record. Ranked as high as No. 6 nationally this season, the Big Green is led by a trio of foreign-born players.
Junior Daniel Keat, a native of New Zealand, leads the team with 19 points (seven goals, five assists), while his fellow countryman Craig Henderson has tallied four goals and four assists over nine games (he has not played in the last three Dartmouth matches).
Last season's Ivy League Rookie of the Year Lucky Mkosana has not showed any signs of slowing down as a sophomore, as he has totaled six goals and two assists.
