Men's Soccer Opens 2009 Season at Duke/Nike Classic This Weekend
9/4/2009 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NEW YORK -- The Columbia University men's soccer team will open the 2009 season this weekend in Durham, N.C., at the Duke/Nike Classic. The Lions will begin Friday with a match against the host Blue Devils, and will conclude their tournament against N.C. State on Sunday. The University of Denver will also take part in the event.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke played three exhibition matches prior to starting the regular season with a 2-0 win over James Madison on Tuesday. The Blue Devils went 2-0-1 in their exhibition season, including victories over Georgetown and Greensboro College. Freshman Ryan Finley, who was a member of the U-17 U.S. National Team, had two goals and two assists. Duke boasts the No. 17-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to College Soccer News, led by Finley and NSCAA National High School Player of the Year Andrew Wenger.
Scouting the Wolfpack
N.C. State opened its 2009 season with a 3-1 exhibition win over UNC Greensboro, before also beginning the regular season with a 3-1 victory over WInthrop at home on Tuesday. The Wolfpack overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit by rallying for three goals in the first 25 minutes of the second stanza. Ronnie Bouemboue, a two-time member of the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Tournament team and a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award nominee, had two of the three tallies in the exhibition, and a goal and an assist against Winthrop.
Anderson Begins First Season as Columbia Head Man
After two separate stints as an assistant coach at Columbia under Dieter Ficken, Kevin Anderson returned in January as the program's head coach. Anderson had spent the last three years as the top assistant at Boston College, where he was named one of the nation's top assistant coaches by College Soccer News.
Late Score Helps Columbia Get Past Sacred Heart in Exhibition Match
First-year forward Nick Scott scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute and helped the Columbia men's soccer team to a 2-1, come-from-behind win over Sacred Heart in an exhibition match at Columbia Soccer Stadium. Scott tallied a team-best four shots in the contest, including three on goal, and also had an assist for the Lions. Junior Bayo Adafin tallied the equalizer in the 17th minute, after the Pioneers had jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 29 seconds into the match.
Bayo Back For Business
After registering a career high in goals in 2008, junior forward Bayo Adafin returns as the main scoring threat for the Lions this year. Adafin tallied six goals a season ago, and established himself as one of the more dangerous attackers in the Ivy League. The Rochester, Minn., native was named to the All-Ivy League second team in 2008 and also earned national honors after scoring a hat trick in a win over nationally-ranked UC Santa Barbara.
Alexander the Great
Goalkeeper Alexander Aurrichio had a busy first year at Columbia. The sophomore goalkeeper for the Lions' men's soccer team doubled as a power-hitting threat for the school's baseball team. Aurrichio played in 29 games, alternating between an outfield spot and designated hitter, and hit .289 while mashing a team-high four home runs.
Lions Take Break From Preseason Camp to Visit Citigroup
The Columbia University men's soccer team took a break from the grind of preseason camp on Tuesday to tour the main Manhattan office of Citigroup. The Lions were hosted by former men's soccer player Chris Totman '00, who currently works in credit sales for the company.
Adafin Named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar
Men's soccer standout Bayo Adafin was chosen as an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar for 2009. The rising junior was a second-team selection as he led Columbia and ranked fifth in the Ivy League with seven goals. To be considered, a student of color must compete in an intercollegiate sport, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2, and be active on his or her campus or in the community.
Lions Shine on Summer Soccer Circuit
With a full season of college soccer under their belts, four rising sophomores on the Columbia men's soccer team were all busy this summer preparing for the Lions 2009 campaign. Francois Anderson, Mike Mazzullo, Ronnie Shaban, and Jesse Vella had an opportunity to face top-level competition with their club teams. Anderson is a member of the D.C. United Super-20 League team that went 8-0-1 in Group B of the Mid-Atlantic Region and advanced to the semifinals of the Super-20 National Finals. Shaban's Northern Virginia Royals FC Super-20 squad also advanced to the national tournament, by way of a 4-1-3 record in group play. Mazzullo helped his Yonkers United U-19 team to its most successful season ever. The Tornadoes strung together three straight shutouts en route to an Eastern New York State Cup championship. The win was extra special considering it was the third consecutive season that the Tornadoes and New York Cosmos had faced each other in the final. Mazzullo also earned bragging rights for the year with his teammate, Vella, who was a member of the Cosmos outfit.
Youth is Served
The Columbia men's soccer team will enter the 2009 season with an extremely young group. The Lions boast nine first-years and nine sophomores on their roster.
