5 Things to Know: Columbia vs. Yale

Saturday, October 30

New York, NY

7:00 P.M.

Columbia

Yale

Keenan Foley versus Penn 2021 3458723942

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

10/29/2021 2:09:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Venue Policies Watch (ESPN+)Live Stats

Columbia soccer doubleheader set for Saturday

NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (1-8-4, 0-2-2 Ivy) returns to Ivy League competition on Saturday when it welcomes Yale (5-4-4, 2-0-2 Ivy) to Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

The men's game serves as the back end of a Columbia soccer doubleheader on Saturday. The women's team will take on the Bulldogs earlier that afternoon at 3 p.m.

Fans who can't attend the match can watch the action on ESPN+. Live stats will be provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Fans can also keep up with the match on Twitter by following @CULionsMSOC.

Fans attending games at the Baker Athletics Complex must adhere to Columbia Athletics and the University's venue protocols. Please find Columbia's venue policies here.

Below are five facts Columbia fans should know heading into the contest.

#1 | TEAM STATUS
This past Tuesday, the Lions played their final non-conference game of the season against La Salle. Sophomore Ryan Wallace's first goal in Columbia blue put the Lions on top in the 25th minute, cleaning up a rebound off a free kick from Blake Willis. Columbia held that lead at halftime but would go on to surrender four second-half tallies to the Explorers.

Columbia has taken a point in two of its last three Ivy League matches. The Lions managed to salvage a draw, 1-1, after going down to 10 men and giving up a 90th-minute equalizer last Saturday night at Dartmouth. First-year Adrien Wheaton-Schopp scored his first collegiate goal in the 38th minute to put Columbia ahead. Ryan Kipness tallied his second assist of the year on Wheaton-Schopp's goal.

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#2 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Saturday marks the second of three straight contests in which the Lions play at home. Columbia will not leave the state of New York for a match the rest of the season and wraps up the home schedule the next Saturday against Harvard. The match against the Crimson will serve as Senior Day with a scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff. Seniors Blake Willis, Andrew Stevens, Sebastian Gunbeyi and Will Todd will all be honored prior to the start of next Saturday's home finale.

On the season as a whole. Columbia only left the Empire State twice to compete, which were two straight Ivy matches at Princeton and Dartmouth. Fourteen of the team's 16 matches this season were played in New York State.

#3 | IN GOOD HANDS
Junior goalkeeper Michael Collodi ranks among the top of the NCAA in saves. Entering the weekend, he is No.22 in save percentage (.792), No. 10 in saves per game (5.08) and No. 24 in total saves (61). His save numbers all also rank among the best in the Ivy League, sitting atop the conference in total saves and No. 2 in both save percentage and saves per game.

Last Saturday, Collodi made a career-high 10 saves in the 1-1 draw at Dartmouth. Five of his 10 saves came through the two overtime sessions with Columbia a man down, helping the Lions come away with a point.

#4 | TRACKING THE FIRSTS
Due in part to the 2020 season being cancelled from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lions have had a lot of firsts for the players on their roster this season. Many of them are tracked below:

First Collegiate Starts:
- #4 Matthew Leong vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #5 Jake Novoshelski vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 6)
- #7 Adrien Wheaton-Schopp vs. LIU (Sept. 18)
- #9 Paolo Primavera vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #11 Ryan Kipness vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #13 Jack Muoio vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #16 David Walley vs. St. John's (Sept. 13)
- #19 Will DeNight vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)**
- #23 Hugo Hamilton vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 6)
- #24 Ryan Wallace vs. Manhattan (Sept. 10)
- #25 Bryan Cosman vs. Stony Brook (Sept. 6)

First Collegiate Goals:
- #11 Ryan Kipness vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #5 Jake Novoshelski vs George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #27 Will Todd vs. Manhattan (Sept. 10)
- #25 Bryan Cosman vs. Manhattan (Sept. 10)
- #19 Will DeNight at Hofstra (Oct. 5)**
- #7 Adrien Wheaton-Schopp at Dartmouth (Oct. 23)
- #24 Ryan Wallace vs. La Salle (Oct. 26)**

First Collegiate Assists:
- #5 Jake Novoshelski vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #11 Ryan Kipness vs. George Washington (Sept. 3)
- #9 Paolo Primavera vs. Manhattan (Sept. 10)
- #19 Will DeNight vs. Penn (Oct. 9)**

** First as a Lion (transfer)

#5 | THE OPPONENT
Yale (5-4-4, 2-0-2 Ivy) is one of two unbeatens in Ivy League play. They sit third in the standings with eight points, one behind Cornell (9) and four behind first-place Princeton (12). The Bulldogs are 2-0-4 in their last six matches overall and have not lost since September 28 against UMass, 1-0.

Paolo Carroll is the team's leading goal scorer with seven on the campaign, which is tied for the third-most in the Ivy League. He and Eric Lagos have combined for 11 of the team's 16 total goals. Carroll is also the leading Bulldog in points (17) while Sigfus Arnason has a team-high four assists.

In goal, Elian Haddock has played and started 12 of the 13 matches, totaling 1,140 minutes on the year. He carries a 1.03 GAA with 48 saves and a .787 save percentage.

Columbia and Yale's history dates back to 1907. The two sides are at a near even split in the 70 matches they've played. The Lions trail by a slim margin of 30-32-8. Columbia has done a lot of work to gain ground back in the last 11 years, going unbeaten with a record of 6-0-3 against Yale from 2010-18. Yale snapped Columbia five-match series winning streak in 2019 with a 2-0 victory in New York.

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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.