NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (1-1-1) continues a run of in-state matchups on Monday when it travels to Queens to take on St. John's (3-2-0). Kickoff from Belson Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET
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Live stats will be provided by RedStormSports.com
Here are five things to know heading into Monday's matchup.
#1 | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Monday marks the third of four straight matches Columbia plays against in-state opponents. The Lions began the stretch last Monday at Stony Brook, where they fell 1-0, before returning home to host Manhattan College on Friday, drawing the Jaspers 2-2. Including their home opener against George Washington on Sept. 3, the Lions play their first 10 matches of the season in New York state. Columbia doesn't travel out of state for a contest until Oct. 16 when it heads to Princeton. In total, only two matches this season (Princeton, Dartmouth) take place outside of the New York state.
#2 | CROSSTOWN RIVALRIES
Monday will be Columbia's second straight match against an opponent from within New York City's five boroughs. On the eve of 20 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Lions hosted Manhattan College at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium and entertained the crowd of over 300 in attendance to an exciting 2-2 draw. Both teams scored in the final five minutes of the first half to go into the lockers at 1-1. First-year
Bryan Cosman put the Lions ahead in the 79th minute, but Manhattan responded less than three minutes later to even things right back up before heading to overtime. When the final whistle sounded, the two sides had combined for 33 shots.
#3 | A MATCH OF FIRSTS
Friday's 2-2 draw against Manhattan included a pair of first collegiate goals for Columbia. Senior defender
Will Todd scored for the first time in his Columbia career with just over two minutes until halftime, heading a chip from first-year
Paolo Primavera into the back of the net from a yard away. The goal came in Todd's 33rd career match as a Lion. Later in the second half, first-year
Bryan Cosman scored in just his second collegiate appearance. Cosman got in behind the Jaspers' defense off a through ball from Sebasitan Gunbeyi and beat the keeper low and to the right to give the Lions a 2-1 lead at the time.
#4 | ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jake Novoshelski was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Tuesday. The sophomore out of Paramus, New Jersey, playing in his first collegiate match, was subbed on in the 33rd minute against George Washington and helped put the Lions on the board with an assist of
Ryan Kipness' opening tally. Just three minutes later, he linked up with Kipness again, this time on the receiving end, depositing his first goal into the back of the net to double the advantage. Novoshelski was one of just four Ivy League players to record an assist and a goal on the season's opening day. He and Kipness became the first Lions since Francisco Agrest in 2014 to score in their collegiate debuts.
#5 | THE OPPONENT
St. John's (3-2-0) is coming off of a 3-2 overtime victory against Boston University on Friday. After going up 2-0 in the 12th minute, the Red Storm conceded goals in the 65th and 84th minutes to wind up needing extra time. However, it didn't take long for the match to find a winner, as 22 seconds into the first session the Johnnies were awarded a penalty kick that Brandon Knapp converted for his team's second straight victory. All but one of St. John's games have been decided by just a single goal this season – the outlier was a 3-0 Red Storm victory over Albany (Aug. 30). Monday will mark St. John's fifth straight match at Belson Stadium.
Columbia leads the all-time series 7-2-0. The two teams first played against one another in 1981 with the Lions winning the first seven through 1989. After the series took a 23-year hiatus, the rivalry was renewed in 2012 and again in 2019. St. John's has won those last two matchups, including a 5-1 victory over Columbia when they last met at Commisso Soccer Stadium in 2019.
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