Columbia Continues Ivy Slate Sunday at Home to Penn

Sunday, October 13

New York, N.Y.

1:00 P.M.

Columbia University

Penn

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Maryam K. Hassan

Columbia Continues Ivy Slate Sunday at Home to Penn

10/12/2019 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Watch on ESPN+Live Stats Follow @ColumbiaMSoccer on Twitter

Lions and Quakers square off in a battle of 1-0 teams

NEW YORK — Columbia men's soccer (3-4-2, 1-0-0 Ivy) returns to Ivy League action on Sunday afternoon when it hosts Penn (4-3-1, 1-0-0 Ivy). Kickoff from Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Fans can also keep up with the match on Twitter by following @ColumbiaMSoccer.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

1. HISTORICAL RUN OF GOALS
Columbia has run its streak of games with a goal to 17 matches dating back to last season. The scoring streak stands alone as the fifth-longest in program history and is Columbia's longest since an 18-game streak that took place through the 1986 and 1987 campaigns. The Lions put together three separate 18-game streaks through the 1980s. The program record for most consecutive games with a goal is 24, spanning every match of the 1979 Final Four season and the first five matches of 1980.

   Longest Goal-Scoring Streaks in Columbia History:
    24 Games: 1979-80
    18 Games: 1980-81
    18 Games: 1983
    18 Games: 1986-87
    17 Games: 2018-present

2. DENIS DELIVERS
John Denis heads into Sunday's contest as the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week. The senior attacking midfielder polished off his second five-point performance of the season in last Saturday's Ivy League-opening victory against Brown, netting two goals and an assist that included a 74th-minute winner. Denis leads the Ivy League in total points (13), shares the league lead in goals (5) and ranks among the NCAA's top 50 in total points, points per game (1.63) and goals per game (0.63). He joins first-year keeper Michael Collodi, who picked up Rookie of the Week honors the week prior, as the two Lions to earn Ivy League accolades this year.

3. 3 GOALS, 3 POINTS, 3 YEARS RUNNING
Columbia got the result it was hoping for to start the Ivy League season, scoring three times last Saturday to take all three points against Brown. The Lions enter Sunday as one of four teams with unblemished marks in league play, joined by Penn, Yale and Dartmouth. John Denis scored Columbia's opening tally against the Bears, as well as the game's final tally while also assisting a 44th-minute goal by Matthew Swain. It marked the third consecutive season the Lions scored three goals in their Ivy opener and came away victorious. All three of those results have come against the Bears.

4. RESILIENCY
Resiliency has been a critical part to Columbia's success this season. That characteristic was evident again last Saturday after the Lions bounced back from surrendering a 2-0 lead to still come away with a 3-2 victory over Brown. Columbia had a similar 3-2 win two weeks prior at UConn, surrendering two separate leads before a John Denis 84th-minute winner sent the Lions back to New York on top. Additionally, Columbia has been able to come away with two results from losing positions. Sebastian Gunbeyi scored a 79th-minute equalizer and Columbia held on with 10 men in overtime to draw Omaha in the season opener (Sept. 6). A week later, Denis provided a first-half equalizer to help the Lions recover from an early Army goal in a 1-1 draw at Commisso Stadium.

5. THE SERIES
The series between Columbia and Penn goes all the way back to 1906. Sunday will mark the 74th all-time meeting in a series which Columbia leads 34-33-6. The Lions have defeated the Quakers six straight times and are unbeaten against them in eight straight contests. Columbia's last three victories have all been shutouts, including a 2-0 win last October behind goals form Dylan Mott and Nike Azuma. Penn's last visit to New York resulted in a 3-0 Lions victory, which included a goal by John Denis.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Penn earned its first Ivy League win by the same score line Columbia earned its first last Saturday, as the Quakers defeated Cornell in Philadelphia, 3-2. Ben Stitz, Brandon Bartel and Joey Bhangdia were the goal scorers for Penn, which began the league season in victory for the first time in three years. Bhangdia has a team-leading five goals on the campaign, tying for the Ivy League lead with John Denis and Princeton's Walker Gillespie. The Quakers have played two nationally ranked opponents this season, falling to then-No. 19 St. John's, 1-0, and drawing then-No. 24 Rutgers, 1-1. Expect sophomore Dane Jacomen to start in goal, who hasn't missed a minute of game time and carries a 1.09 GAA.

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For the latest on the Columbia men's soccer program, follow @ColumbiaMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaMensSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.