NEW YORK — Coming off a three-goal performance to earn its first victory of the season, the Columbia men's soccer team (1-2-2) returns to Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium Monday night to take on the newly branded Long Island University Sharks (2-4). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
Fans unable to attend the game 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. FIRST ONE IS THE SWEETEST
Columbia walked away from UConn with its first win of the season on Friday by a score of 3-2. Senior John Denis scored the opening goal off a free kick early in the first half before going on to head in the game-winning tally with less than seven minutes remaining. The Lions went into the half tied, 1-1, but retook the lead in the 62nd minute when Denis played a free kick off to Uri Zeitz, who finished confidently with a rising shot from outside the box to give Columbia the lead back. UConn equalized for a second time in the 81st minute, but Denis provided the winner by heading in Sebastian Gunbeyi's cross in the 84th to polish off the victory.
 
2. HISTORICAL RUN OF GOALS
Columbia has scored a goal in each of its last 13 matches dating back to last season, which is its longest stretch of contests with a goal in a quarter-century. The 1994 team was the last to do it, scoring in each of its first 13 matches. Prior to that, the Lions ran a 15-match goal streak in 1993 and 18-match streaks between both 1980-81 and 1986-87. The program record for consecutive matches with a goal is 24, spanning every match of the 1979 Final Four season and the first five matches of 1980.
 
3. DENIS IN FORM
John Denis had two goals and an assist in Friday's win at UConn and has either scored or assisted each of Columbia's last five goals spanning three matches. Against the Huskies, Denis buried a free kick from a few yards outside the 18-yard box, sending it over the wall and into the top corner, well out of the keeper's reach to open the scoring. He later positioned himself well in the penalty area to head in a Sebastian Gunbeyi cross, which proved to be the game-winning goal. His three goals this season have already bested the senior midfielder's two from a year ago, while he is halfway to his career-high of six as a sophomore in 2017.
 
4. ZEITZ FINISHES HIS FIRST
First-year Uri Zeitz put away his first collegiate goal on Friday. Zeitz roped in a shot from a few yards outside the penalty area, striking a screamer over the UConn keeper and into the roof to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage. The goal came on Zeitz's seventh shot attempt of his career, five of which have come on goal. He also assisted Columbia's only goal in a 1-1 draw against Army (Sept. 13).
 
5. THE SERIES
Columbia meets Long Island for the first time since 2014. LIU was formerly split between LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post before the Brooklyn and Brookville athletic departments merged over the summer. Five years ago, Columbia walked out of Brooklyn 3-2 winners, coming back from a 2-1 deficit with second-half goals by Ron Zori and Jack Gagne. LIU's last visit to Commisso Stadium was in 2013, when the Lions defeated the then-Blackbirds 3-0 by way of three second-half goals. Columbia leads the all-time combined series 19-11-4, including all games against the Brooklyn and Post campuses.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
 
The Sharks have lost four straight since opening up the season with wins at Old Dominion and VCU. They played their first "home" game on Sept. 7 against Saint Joe's at the Hofstra University Soccer Stadium, falling to the Hawks, 1-0. Since then, they've fallen on the road to La Salle, UMBC and Iona, getting outscored 10-3 over their four-match losing streak. LIU came away with two goals on Saturday against the Gaels but couldn't find a late equalizer to extend the contest.
 
LIU has scored six goals in its first six games with five different goal scorers. Papa Ndoye is the only Shark to score twice, netting his first in the season-opening win and his second on Saturday against Iona. Ndoye has also accounted for the most shots by any player on the team, taking 19 of LIU's 59 total attempts so far (32.2 pct.). Expect Matias Pesallaccia to start in goal, having already started the first six games with a 1.94 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.