NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team kicks off Homecoming Weekend at the Baker Athletics Complex when it takes on Dartmouth Friday night. First kick at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
ALUMNI DAY:
The Columbia men's soccer program will be holding Alumni Day as part of Homecoming Weekend. Highlighting the alumni returning for the game is Shahin Shayan '80CC, who will be inducted into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday Night. Shayan was a two-time Ivy League champion (1978, '79) and a leader on the 1979 Columbia team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four. He still ranks No. 1 all-time at Columbia in career points (113) and is also No. 2 in goals (48). He was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 1979 Senior Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
GAME COVERAGE:
Fans unable to attend the game can watch live on ESPN+. Fans can also track the live stats courtesy of GoColumbiaLions.com. In-game updates will also be provided on the @CULionsMSOC Twitter and Instagram accounts.
HOME SWEET HOME:
Columbia (2-6-2, 0-3-0 Ivy) has enjoyed a lot of success on its home turf this season. Entering Saturday's contest, the Lions are 2-1-1 at Commisso Soccer Stadium. In those games, they have outscored the opposition 7-4, including a 2-0 win against Quinnipiac on September 19. They'll be looking to bounce back from their first home loss, which occurred September 30 against Harvard, 3-1. In comparison, Columbia has struggled on the road, getting outscored 14-2 with a record of 0-5-1.
COLLODI CLIMBS THE CHARTS
Michael Collodi has entered Columbia's top-five all-time in saves. The senior keeper from Frisco, Texas has totaled 216 in his career, passing the late Alexander Aurrichio (2008-10) for fourth in Columbia's last game at Princeton. Also within reach for Collodi are Jeff Micheli (1984-87) and Steve McAnulty (1992-95), who had 231 and 235 saves, respectively. The all-time leader is John McElaney (1976-79) with 334.
DEVELOPING THE ATTACK
Columbia has made huge strides on the attack this season. Last year, they ranked 200th or worse out of 203 teams in NCAA Div. I soccer in scoring offense (0.50), total goals (8), total points (19), total assists (3), shots on goal per game (2.94), shot accuracy (0.343), points per game (1.19) and assists per game (0.19). This season, the Lions are averaging nearly a goal per game through 10 matches, Carmine Falco ranks top 100 in the NCAA at 0.38 assists per game, while Will DeNight and Chad Baker lead the Lions with three goals apiece this season. DeNight is also top 10 in the NCAA in shot accuracy (61.9 percent).
A LOOK AT DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (4-5-1, 2-1-0 Ivy) sits at the top of the Ivy League table with all eight teams having played three matches to date. Despite a 2-4-1 non-conference record, the Big Green started league competition with back-to-back wins at Princeton, 2-1, and home to Penn, 2-0. They suffered their first loss last weekend at Yale, 2-0. The top four in the Ivy League standings are all separated by just one point, with Yale, Brown and Harvard all tied for second at five points. Penn and Princeton are right behind them with four.
The Big Green rank among the top 100 in the NCAA in total assists (16), shot accuracy (.444), saves per game (3.90), points per game (4.40) and assists per game (1.60). Individually, goalkeeper Cost Christodoulou ranks second in the Ivy League in total saves (38), saves per game (3.80) and goalie minutes played (900:00). The team has scored 14 goals and allowed 17 this season. Vasilis Moiras (4) and Douglas Arveskar (30) lead the way in goals.
THE SERIES
Dartmouth leads the all-time series, 31-23-9, with every game between Columbia and Dartmouth since 2014 being decided by one goal. Dartmouth has had the better of it over that time, holding a record of 5-1-2 against the Lions over that span. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be Dartmouth's first visit to Columbia since 2018. That game stands as Columbia's last series win, taking a 1-0 decision in overtime on a game-winning goal by Sebastian Gunbeyi.
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
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.
