NEW YORK – Five different Lions scored goals, including the first career goal for senior
Nick Marcin, as Columbia men's soccer posted a dominant 6-1 triumph over the visiting Harvard Crimson on Senior Day at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.
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After honoring their seven seniors –
Rory Madigan,
Vana Markarian,
John Denis,
Matthew Swain,
Danny Laranetto,
Cyrus Siminou and Marcin – prior to kickoff, the group accounted for four goals and three assists in their home finale. Â
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"They've contributed in a big way all season," said head coach
Kevin Anderson. "We've seen the ebbs and flow of having to be a resilient group of guys. It's unfortunate that the results are what they are, but in terms of effort and commitment and sticking to what it is that we're trying to do tactically and putting their best foot forward, they've done that now for four seasons. So, to get one more opportunity at home to be a part of that group is nice.
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"And then for those guys to be able to contribute, not just in the small details, but in the details that everybody else gets to see. The smaller details, we know – the hard work, the discipline that it takes, the midweek training sessions, all of the little pieces that nobody else sees. The ones that don't go on these sheets of paper or won't go on the website. For those guys, to then be able to get something that goes forward for them, that's fantastic."
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Columbia (5-7-4, 2-2-2 Ivy League) got on the board early, scoring in the fourth minute as freshman
Uri Zeitz played a forward pass to
Sebastian Gunbeyi inside the box. Gunbeyi turned, going one-on-one with Harvard goalkeeper Philip Geanakoplos and curled a shot into the top right corner.
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Just over four minutes later, Harvard (0-13-1, 0-6 Ivy) would equalize, but the Lions would score the go-ahead goal in the 16th minute as Swain knocked in a header off a free kick from fellow senior Denis and Columbia would not trail again.
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Tacking on back-to-back Denis goals before the halftime break, the Lions held a 4-1 edge after 45 minutes of action. Out of the locker room, Zeitz would earn his fifth goal of the season after collecting a throw in from Swain on the near side and dribbling to the six-yard box, sending a right-footed score to the far post.
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Finishing off the day, a wild celebration from the Columbia bench and stands ensued as Laranetto played the ball ahead to Marcin who blasted a shot from the top of the box over the head of Harvard's replacement keeper Gianluca Trofa to give Columbia its final six-goal tally.
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"I was so happy," said Marcin. "I just wanted to celebrate with my teammates. I mean, it was a special moment. We're a family on this team and there was no better way to celebrate that goal than with my brothers. They're the reason I was on that field, the reason I could score, so it meant everything."
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The Lions' six goals marked the most scored by the program since defeating Harvard, 6-0, on Nov. 11, 2017.
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Columbia will play its final regular season game next Saturday, Nov. 16, traveling to face Cornell at 4 p.m. ET in Ithaca, New York.
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For the latest on the Columbia men's soccer program, followÂ
@ColumbiaMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at
Facebook.com/ColumbiaMensSoccer and on the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
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