NEW YORK — The Columbia men's soccer team (1-10-1, 1-3-1 Ivy) will host Brown (6-7-1, 1-4-0 Ivy) on Sunday at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. First kick is scheduled for 2 p.m.
SENIOR DAY
Columbia will honor its graduating senior class of
Bryan Cosman,
Noah Hartzfeld,
Ryan Kipness,
Adrien Wheaton-Schopp and
Andreas Zamanian prior to the start of Sunday's match. Cosman, Kipness, Wheaton-Schopp and Zamanian are all four-year members of the program, while Hartzfeld joined the team last season as a transfer from Wesleyan. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at approximately 1:50 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
Fans unable to attend Sunday's game can
watch live on ESPN+. A subscription is required to access the live video. Fans can also track
live stats courtesy of GoColumbiaLions.com. In-game updates will also be provided on the @CULionsMSOC social media accounts.
THE IVY TABLE
Columbia enters the weekend three points behind Dartmouth for an all-important top-four spot in the standings – the top four qualify for the 2024 Ivy League Tournament. A win would go a long way for the Lions to keep their postseason hopes alive, potentially bringing them into a tie for fourth at the end of the weekend. Next week, they'll travel to Cornell (3-2-0 Ivy) for the season finale. Meanwhile, Brown sits one point behind Columbia at 1-4-0 in the league. The Bears most likely need to win out to have a shot at qualifying for the tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
Columbia suffered a tough, 1-0, loss to Harvard last Saturday in Cambridge. Still scoreless with less than 10 minutes remaining, Harvard stole the ball away in Columbia's own half and sent the it into the center of the box. Ben Kelly came down with it between two defenders, took a control touch and found himself one-on-one with
Dean Kelliher. There was nothing the Columbia keeper could do as Kelly's shot was fired from close range into the back of the net. The loss leap-frogged Harvard (2-3-0 Ivy) past Columbia (1-3-1 Ivy) and into fifth in the league standings.
BREAKING THROUGH
After scoring just one goal over their first seven matches and posting a 0-7 record, the Lions have now scored six times over their past five matches. It began with a 1-0 victory on October 5 at Commisso Soccer Stadium against Yale.
Jackson ten Oever scored the winner in the 81st minute and went on to be named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. The win also gave the Lions their first Ivy League victory since 2019.
Although they fell in their next match, 3-2, at Villanova, Columbia scored twice, including a game-tying goal from
Jack McDaid in the 87th minute to level things, 2-2. They rode that goal-scoring momentum into a thrilling match at Dartmouth, scoring twice with a man-up advantage to take a point on the road and stay in contention for the Ivy League Tournament. The Lions then jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes against Princeton (Oct. 19) and maintained that advantage into halftime before the Tigers scored twice in the second half to flip the score.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Bears' attack is led by Lorenzo Amaral, who has scored a team-best seven goals over the campaign to rank No. 3 in the Ivy League. Amaral also ranks third in the league with his five assists and 19 total points. Despite a losing overall record, Brown has outscored opponents, 23-20, this season, averaging 1.6 goals per game, with 13 different players having found the back of the net. Henrik Weiper has started four of the five Ivy League matches in goal with a 1.50 GAA in those contests.
THE SERIES
Brown leads the all-time tilt, 37-18-7. The Bears won convincingly last year in Providence, 4-0, but the Lions pulled off a draw the last time the two teams met in New York in 2022. In fact, Columbia is 2-1-1 at home against the Bears since 2017, outscoring them 6-3 over that span.
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.
