5 Things to Know: Lions Set for Senior Night vs. Harvard

Saturday, November 6

New York, NY

8:00 P.M.

Columbia

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

5 Things to Know: Lions Set for Senior Night vs. Harvard

11/5/2021 3:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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Willis, Stevens, Gunbeyi, Todd to be honored

NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (1-9-4, 0-3-2 Ivy) honors the career of its senior class on Saturday in the team's home finale, as the Lions get set to Host Harvard (6-5-3, 1-2-2 Ivy). Kickoff at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium is set for 8 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 Crimson earlier that evening at 5 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 | HONORING THE SENIORS
Columbia will honor the careers of seniors Blake Willis, Andrew Stevens, Sebastian Gunbeyi and Will Todd prior to the start of Saturday night's contest. All four Lions are four-year members of the team. Willis, a 2017 First Team All-Ivy League honoree, joined the Lions in 2017 and was part of that year's squad that won Columbia's first NCAA Tournament game since 1990. Gunbeyi, Todd and Stevens all joined in 2018. Stevens is a two-time All-Ivy League selection. All four have become starters in their time at Columbia and contributed significant minutes.

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#2 | TEAM STATUS
Columbia is back in action for the first time since last Saturday, when they hosted Yale and fell victim to a 3-1 defeat. Senior Sebastian Gunbeyi scored his first goal of the season in the game's 40th minute. His goal cut Yale's 2-0 lead in half and put the Lions right back in it. With Columbia moving forward in the game's final minutes, Yale struck for a third goal to bring the game to its final tally.

After struggling to find the back of the net for a five-game stretch earlier in the season, Columbia has now found the back of the net in five of its last six matches. Over that time, five different Lions have scored, including the first Columbia goals for Adrien Wheaton-Schopp, Ryan Wallace and Will DeNight.

#3 | IN GOOD HANDS
Junior goalkeeper Michael Collodi ranks among the top of the NCAA multiple save categories. Entering the weekend, he is No. 25 in save percentage (.784), No. 9 in saves per game (5.31) and No. 16 in total saves (69). His save numbers all also rank among the best in the Ivy League, ranking No. 1 in total saves, No. 2 in save percentage and saves per game.

#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
Harvard (6-5-3, 1-2-2 Ivy) won its first Ivy League game of the season last Saturday in a 1-0 decision against Dartmouth. The game's only goal was scored less than a minute into the contest, when Martin Vician netted his fifth of the season. Vician is the second-leading goal scorer on the team, behind only Alessandro Arlotti, who has found the back of the net seven times. Arlotti also has five assists for a team-high 19 points on the season.

In goal, Oskar Nilsson has started 11 of the team's 14 matches and carries a 1.61 goals against average. He has made 59 saves this season with a 0.756 save percentage.

Columbia and Harvard first met in 1906. Saturday's matchup will mark the 72nd meeting between the two sides. The Lions have won each of the last three, including a 6-1 win the last time Harvard visited New York in 2019. Columbia has won six of the last nine against the Crimson overall.
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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.