Men’s soccer secures first Ivy League win against Dartmouth

The Columbia men’s soccer team opened its Ivy League account for the season with a well earned 2-1 win over Dartmouth at Columbia Soccer Stadium on Saturday, thanks to goals from senior Bayo Adafin and freshman Henning Sauerbier. There was a sense of déjà vu on Alumni Day, as Adafin scored against the Big Green for the second time in as many seasons to make it two wins in a row against Dartmouth. The Lions (5-7-1, 1-3 Ivy) left it late to snatch the points, but it was no less than they deserved.

Dartmouth (6-5-1, 1-3 Ivy) started the game brighter than the home side, but Lions defense, marshaled by juniors Nick Faber and Ronnie Shaban, stood firm. They were ably supported by the fullbacks, senior Hayden Johns and junior Jesse Vella, with Vella playing a large part in the Lions’ opener.

The first chance of note was a 15th-minute free kick for the Big Green, but it was blazed over by forward Lucky Mkosana. The Lions had their own chance to break the deadlock five minutes later, after sophomore forward Will Stamatis was put through by freshman David Najem. The striker rounded the visiting goalkeeper, but he could only win his side a corner.

The home side was not short of confidence, as was made evident when Shaban tried to start an attack from the back, attempting to dribble his way out of defense in the 22nd minute, in a style reminiscent of the legendary German, Franz Beckenbauer, and characteristic of the swagger and flair that the Lions tried to exhibit in the contest. As Shaban was caught in possession in the 22nd minute, Dartmouth almost got in behind the Light Blue defense, but Faber was on hand to make the tackle that recovered the ball and thwarted the Big Green.

Shaban made his presence known twice in the next few minutes to keep the score level, sliding to block a cross and concede a corner. He was then in the right place to clear the ball off the goal line in the 29th minute while Dartmouth applied tremendous pressure.

The Lions came back into the game late in the first half, and, on another day, Adafin could have been celebrating a hat trick at halftime.

His first chance was created by Najem, but the striker’s shot was a bit wide. In the 39th minute, the Lions had their best chance of the half when senior co-captain Peppe Carotenuto played a glorious through-ball into Adafin’s path. Though he only had the keeper to beat, the forward’s placed effort flew just wide of the upright. Three minutes later, the same happened when he tried to bend his effort into the far corner, only to narrowly miss the target.

The half ended with the score level, but Dartmouth was the team putting on the pressure after Adafin’s trio of misses.

Dartmouth’s Daniel Keat had an impressive game, registering a bicycle kick on target eight minutes into the second half, but it was the Lions who would take the lead soon after. Phenomenal play by sophomore Nick Scott in the 55th minute near the left touchline allowed him to carry the ball forward and hold it up well, and his deft lay-off met Vella’s marauding run. Vella ran the length of the pitch, picked the ball up virtually on the byline, and fizzed a ball across the face of goal for Adafin to find the back of the net. Adafin showed true striker’s instincts to put the first half behind him, and his composed finish gave the Lions a well-deserved lead.

But he lead did not last, as the Big Green came back in the 67th minute with a goal from a set piece. A corner into the danger zone was not dealt with by the Light Blue, and Keat was able to finish past junior Alex Aurrichio in the Lions’ goal to bring his side level.

The closing stages of the game saw end-to-end soccer, with both sides creating chances. Stamatis played a beautiful cross across the face of goal, but there was nobody there to finish. The game looked to be heading into overtime until Sauerbier won it for the home side with 76 seconds left on the clock. A dangerous run by Adafin created the opportunity for the ball to fall to the German, who coolly finished and sent the home support into raptures over the Lions’ first Ivy win of the year.

“It wasn’t our greatest performance,” Lions head coach Kevin Anderson said. “We played well in spurts, but, more importantly, we fought hard for the entire 90 minutes. We held our ground, and we definitely have learned from our past games. It was disappointing to concede from another set-piece, but we put a lot into it, and it was a good effort overall. I’m very proud of my players.”

The match-winner, Sauerbier, was overjoyed as the Lions helped themselves to their opening Ivy win. “We were not at our best, but we were effective,” he said. “We were successful, and ground out the result. That’s what’s important. It’s a great feeling to win our first conference game, and I could not be happier.”

The Lions will be looking to build on the win when they travel to Yale on Saturday, Nov. 30. Kick-off is set for 4:30 p.m.