Men's Soccer Alumni Day Set for Saturday Against Penn
10/8/2009 2:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEW YORK -- The Columbia University men's soccer team will conclude its six-match homestand this weekend as it takes on Penn on Saturday at Columbia Soccer Stadium. The match, which will also serve as Soccer Alumni Day, will begin at 4 p.m. and is part of a doubleheader with the women's team. A co-ed alumni match with the women's soccer alumnae will kick off festivities at 1:30 p.m., with a reception also being held at Baker Athletics Complex following the men's contest.
Scouting the Quakers
Penn, like Columbia, will play in its second Ivy League match this weekend. Last week, the Quakers drew with Cornell, 2-2, in double overtime. The match was marred by eight yellow cards, three reds and a combined 52 fouls between the two sides. The Quakers suffered the first red card of the match in the 72nd minute and almost immediately went down 2-1. But Penn was able to regroup and scored the equalizer in the 79th minute thanks to senior Alex Takakuwa.
Series History
The series history between Columbia and Penn is a fairly even one, with the Quakers holding a slim 25-21-4 advantage. The Lions had dropped four straight matches against UPenn prior to last season's 2-1 victory at Rhodes Field.
Last Time Out
Despite being down a man for the final 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, the Columbia University men's soccer team battled #23 Brown to a draw for 94 minutes. But fatigue set in in the 95th minute, as a flurry of shots resulted in a goal by the Bears' Nick Elenz-Martin to defeat the Lions, 2-1, in their Ivy League opener at Columbia Soccer Stadium.
Last Time vs. Penn
Scott Strickland scored the first goal of his career and Bayo Adafin tallied his team-leading fifth goal of the year in helping Columbia to a 2-1 victory over No. 19 Penn at Rhodes Field. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Lions and was the first in Ivy League competition for the Lions since November 12, 2005.
Going the Distance... And Then Some
Columbia has seen its last three contests go into overtime, with the results being an even 1-1-1 record. The Lions dropped Bryant on a game-winner from Bayo Adafin in the 93rd minute, drew with Fordham and lost in the 95th minute to No. 23 Brown. Last season, Columbia also had three consecutive games reach extra time (vs. La Salle, Quinnipiac and Long Island).
Man Down But Not Out
The Lions found themselves in a precarious predicament in the 25th minute against No. 23 Brown, as senior Ryan Scully was issued a red card and was immediately sent off, leaving Columbia with 10 men for the remainder of the match. But the Lions kept fighting, and would eventually score despite the disadvantage. Junior Bayo Adafin fought through a pair of Brown defenders in the box and found the upper-right corner in the 50th minute to even the score at 1-1.
