Men’s soccer takes on No. 12 Harvard in final home contest

With its last victory coming in a thrilling 2-0 shutout at Dartmouth, the Columbia men’s soccer team (4-10-1, 2-3-0 Ivy) hopes to end its three-game losing streak this weekend. The Lions will face No. 12 Harvard (11-3-1, 3-1-1 Ivy) in their last home match in an attempt to improve their record.

The last time out on the field the Crimson defeated the Big Green in a solid 2-1 victory. The first goal of the match came in the fifth minute, as Kwaku Nyamekye converted a corner kick from Adam Rousmaniere into a powerful drive sunk into the side of the net. This 1-0 advantage for the Crimson would prevail until the second half.

The 56th minute would see leading Big Green scorers Maarten van Ess and Lucky Mkosana team up to launch a powerful volley that evaded goal keeper Austin Harms for the equalizer. However, Andre Akpan cinched the victory for Harvard as he dribbled down the sideline, cut inside the box and blasted the ball into the side netting.

On Tuesday, the Lions fell to Adelphi in a close 2-1 loss. Junior forward Bayo Adafin netted the Light Blue’s only goal of the match in the 55th minute, but the Panthers came back in the consecutive minutes to score two goals before regulation time ended.
In last year’s match against the Crimson, the Light Blue fell in a disappointing 6-1 loss. The Lions began the scoring in the 18th minute when an assist from former Lion Scott Strickland gave Adafin a solid shot on goal, but the Crimson came back, as six of its players each scored goals throughout the rest of the match.

The Crimson has continued to improve since last year, besting 2008 league champion Dartmouth this past weekend. In the match, the Big Green outshot the Crimson 18-5, but it was unable to add another tally to equalize the score. Despite the fierce offense that the Big Green presented, the Crimson made four saves, while the Big Green made none in the match. If the Lions hope to taste victory this Saturday, they will have take to the field with both the best defensive and offensive showing possible.

The Light Blue take on Harvard this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Columbia Soccer Stadium.