NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (1-4-2) begins its 2022 Ivy League season Saturday night when it hosts Brown (4-2-0) at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Fans who can't attend the match can watch the action live on
ESPN+, or track the action with
live stats provided by GoColumbiaLions.com. Fans can also keep up with the match on Twitter by following
@CULionsMSOC.
WHAT TO KNOW:
COMPETING FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Columbia begins its quest for an 11th Ivy League title. The Lions are one of four schools in the league with at least 10 championships, the first of which was handed out in 1955. Columbia won its first Ivy title in 1978 and its last in 2016. Seven of Columbia's 10 championships have been outright, accounting for the third-most in the Ancient Eight.
CLOSE CALLS
Six of Columbia's seven games this season have been decided by a goal or less. Last year, 11 of Columbia's 16 matches came down to a single goal, with the Lions holding a record of 0-6-5 in such matches. This year, the Lions are 1-3-2 in those matches with a win over St. John's. The victory was Columbia's first in a one-goal affair since Oct. 29, 2019, when they defeated Fordham, 1-0. Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined, 16 of the team's last 22 matches have been decided by a single goal.
DEBUT LIONS
Ten Lions have made their Columbia debuts to this point in the season —
Ryan Yang,
Brandon Newman,
Ben Sidley,
Alessandro Franciosa,
Carmine Falco,
Cy Sokolowski,
Joao Lima,
Jesse Greissman,
Nic Jandeleit and
Evan Kim. Yang, Newman, Sidley and Franciosa appeared in the Starting XI in the season opener against George Washington. Sokolowski, Falco, Kim and Lima have since each also earned their first starts. Lima's first start included his first collegiate goal, which helped Columbia defeat St. John's, 1-0.
THE SERIES
The Lions dominated the series with an 8-2-0 record through the 1980s, including six straight victories from 1982-87. The Bears turned the tide starting in 1993, going unbeaten against Columbia until a 2-1 double-overtime victory by the Lions in 2011. Columbia is 3-1-0 in its last four matches against the Bears, outscoring them by a margin of 9-4. Brown leads the all-time series, 36-18-6.
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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.
