NEW YORK — The 2019 Columbia men's soccer season gets underway with two matches in Omaha. The Lions open the campaign Friday night against the University of Nebraska Omaha (0-2-0) and will remain in The Big O through Monday afternoon to take on Creighton (0-1-1).
 
Friday's season opener against the Mavericks kicks off at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT). A live video stream and live stats will both be available through omavs.com. Monday's game against the Blue Jays begins at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT). GoCreighton.com will provide the live video feed with live stats available via StatBroadcast.
 
 
5 THINGS TO KNOW
 
1. 72 YEARS OF VARSITY SOCCER
Columbia men's soccer begins its 72nd season as a varsity program. The program first competed as a varsity sport in 1906 but was discontinued after the 1915 season until competing as a club in 1957. The Lions have competed as a varsity sport every year since 1958.
 
2. TOP DRAWER TOP 100
Blake Willis was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Top 100 Player Rankings, checking in at No. 78 in the preseason edition. Additionally, the junior defender is ranked No. 2 in Top Drawer's Top 20 Ivy League Player Rankings. Sophomore midfielder Andrew Stevens (No. 10) and senior midfielder Danny Laranetto (No. 12) are also ranked inside the Ivy League Top 20.
 
3. THE 2019 CAPTAINS
Columbia's captains this season are senior midfielder Vana Markarian, junior defender Blake Willis and sophomore midfielder Andrew Stevens. All three captains are returning All-Ivy League selections from last season. Willis was a First Team All-Ivy League defender while Markarian and Stevens each picked up second team honors. Markarian is a three-time All-Ivy League selection entering his senior year, including First Team honors in 2017 and Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. Overall, the Lions return 18 letterwinners and six starters from 2018
 
4. LIONS PICKED 4TH IN PRESEASON POLL
Columbia was picked to finish fourth in the 2019 Ivy League Preseason Poll, released on Aug. 28. Columbia accumulated 90 total votes and one first-place vote. Princeton was selected to repeat as champions with 11 of the 16 first-place votes and 121 total votes. The Lions have finished second in the Ivy League each of the last two seasons after winning the conference in 2016.
 
5. A NEW LOOK IN GOAL
Three-time All-Ivy League goalkeeper and 2018 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Dylan Castanheira graduated in May, which will give the Lions a new look in goal this season. Castanheira graduated as the Ivy League's all-time leader in career goals against average (0.513), as well as Columbia's all-time leader in career shutouts (25). He led the NCAA in both goals against average (0.290) and save percentage (.903) as a sophomore and ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in goals against average (0.425) as a junior. The Lions have four goalkeepers on this year's roster, which include senior Eric Chang, sophomore Daniel Lopez and first-years Michael Collodi and Matthew Goodman.
 
 
THE MATCHUPS
 
ABOUT OMAHA
The Mavericks have been shutout in their two matches on the road, falling to Cal, 1-0, and No. 11 Saint Mary's, 4-0. They return 15 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team that went 7-8-1 and appeared in the Summit League Championship Final. Diego Gutierrez is the team's top returner, leading the Mavs in goals (7), assists (7) and points (21) a year ago. Friday's matchup will be the first between Columbia and Omaha since 2013, when the Mavs took a 1-0 victory in Omaha.
 
ABOUT CREIGHTON
The Blue Jays are receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll. They opened the 2019 season with road matches against No. 6 North Carolina and No. 4 Wake Forest, earning a draw against the Tar Heels and falling 1-0 to the Deacons. Paul Kruse, the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, matched his career-high with seven saves against UNC. Columbia's only other trip to Creighton came in September of 2013, falling to the Blue Jays, 3-1.
 
 
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.