NEW YORK — Brown's Derek Waleffe scored a 39th-minute goal as the Columbia men's soccer team fell victim, 1-0, to the Bears in the Ivy League opener for both teams Saturday night at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.
 
The goal came off a corner kick. Charlie Adams, who just entered the match prior to the restart, sent a right-footed inswinger into the area from the far corner. Waleffe leapt and met it with his head and his shot skipped through for what proved to be the game-winning goal.  
 
"We've struggled in particular areas right now on a consistent basis -- that's ball retention and keeping balls in the final third and being able to create goal-scoring opportunities," Columbia head coach Kevin Anderson stated. "We keep working on it and it's taken a long time, but there are little bits of positivity that are starting to show. Giving up a goal on a restart is a tough one.
 
"Guys just have to stay committed to putting themselves in the best spots that they can … Scoring goals is a difficult thing, especially for young guys -- scoring goals is the most difficult part of our game. We're going to stay positive with them, encourage them, continue to help them grow and develop and we'll put us best foot forward again the next time we step out."
 
Junior goalkeeper Michael Collodi came up with five saves and just the one goal allowed. Entering play, he ranked among the top five in the NCAA in save percentage and top 20 in goals against average.
 
Three minutes after Collodi made his first stop of the night, Sebastian Gunbeyi nearly put Columbia on top in the 24th minute. Ryan Wallace made a run down the far side and sent a ball into the box that bounced away from Ryan Kipness for Gunbeyi. His attempt beat Brown keeper Max Waldau, but was cleared off the line by defender Owen Schwartz to keep the game goalless. Collodi's best save of the night came just a few minutes later when Kojo Dadzie stepped around his man and fired off a left-footed shot to Collodi's right. The junior made a diving stop on a ball destined for the back of the net before the Columbia defense cleared it away.
 
The contest started to get a little physical in the 32nd minute. Ryan Kipness won a ball in his own half and had beaten his man as he raced toward midfield. Brown's Paul Elliott grabbed Kipness from behind and took him down which resulted in the game's first caution.
 
Brown would find the breakthrough off a set piece but the Lions wouldn't go down quietly. Some great buildup early in the second half that resulted in a low ball in from Gonzalez to Kipness required a leaping save from Waldau to keep the Bears ahead. Waldau finished the night with three stops.
 
Columbia started to test Waldau from distance as the game entered its final 20 minutes. Andrew Stevens got off a good look from more than 30 yards out that beat Waldau to his left, but the shot skipped wide of the post. Moments later, Will DeNight fired a hard cross through the area that Paolo Primavera headed just over the bar. David Walley helped create one final opportunity for Columbia but Ryan Wallace's header off his cross was scooped up by Waldau.
 
Three red cards were issued in the final 15 seconds of the match, as Brown's Noah Atanda and Columbia's Matthew Leong and Ryan Wallace were all sent off.
 
Columbia steps out of conference this Tuesday to visit Hofstra. The Lions return to Ivy League action next Saturday, hosting Penn at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m.

For the latest on Columbia men's soccer, be sure to follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@CULionsMSOC), on Facebook (ColumbiaMensSoccer), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.