NEW YORK — The 2019 Columbia men's soccer season came to an end in a 4-0 defeat against Cornell on Saturday at Berman Field. The Lions conclude the season 5-8-4 overall with a 2-3-2 mark in Ivy League play.
 
"The season was challenging and It tested all of us in different ways," Columbia head coach Kevin Anderson stated. "Those challenges where faced head on, by all, and we make no excuses or apologies as we gave our all.
 
"Every member of our senior class has every reason to be proud of their four years at Columbia. The first three brought us an Ivy League championship, an NCAA berth and NCAA first-round victory. We also competed for the Ivy title heading into the last game of three of those seasons.
 
"On behalf of the entire team and coaching staff, I want to thank Vana, John, Danny, Mattie, Nick, Rory and Cyrus for all that they have done to help us be the best we can be both on and off the field. We will truly miss them and look forward to celebrating with them and their families at our end of the year banquet.
 
"The heart of the Lion is in the pride."
 
Columbia boasted a record 40-19-9 over the last four seasons, including a 17-7-4 record across Ivy League contests. As rookies in 2016, this year's senior class helped the Lions to their 10th Ivy League championship and first since 1993. The following season, they qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since '93 and defeated William & Mary in the first round.
 
Saturday wasn't the result the class wanted in its last game, but the future graduates certainly had a lot to celebrate over four years. Last Sunday's 6-1 triumph over Harvard was more indicative of that, in which the Lions got four goals and three assists from its group of seniors.
 
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.