It’s the biggest game of the season for the Columbia men’s soccer team (7-7-1, 3-2 Ivy). The Lions host Harvard (2-10-3, 0-4-1 Ivy) tomorrow in a game they must win in order to keep their title hopes alive.
“It’s not complicated,” head coach Kevin Anderson said. “It’s game time.”
Columbia has not won an Ivy title in men’s soccer since 1993, and two wins for the current squad in its remaining two games—coupled with neither Brown nor Dartmouth winning both their final games—will be enough to bring an Ivy Championship to Morningside.
“The team is really excited for Saturday,” senior captain Mike Mazzullo said. “We realize there’s a great opportunity in front of us, and we’re confident. But we know that Harvard, like any other game, will be a tough challenge.”
The Light Blue will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they take on the Crimson. Last weekend the Lions secured a 1-0 win over Yale, courtesy of junior forward Will Stamatis. The New Jersey native leads the squad with six goals this year, five of which have been decisive strikes. Earlier this week the Lions travelled to Adelphi and won 2-1, thanks to goals from sophomore forward Henning Sauerbier and senior center-back Ronnie Shaban. (Shaban is a sports columnist for Spectator.)
Junior winger Nick Scott missed the beginning of the season from injury, but has come back into the side and had the assist for each of the Lions’ last three goals. He now leads the team with five assists for the season.
“It definitely feels good—it’s nice to finally get some games under my belt and start playing well and creating goals. I think that’s what I bring to the table,” Scott said. “It also comes down to the runs from the strikers and midfielders. When I get the ball I just look up and Stamatis is there or Henning’s making a run for me to work with. So we’ve just built up a strong chemistry and it’s all coming together now.”
The Crimson has struggled this season, both in and outside the conference. Harvard has made the NCAA tournament in four of the last five campaigns, but is still in search of its first Ivy win of 2011. The visitors will be looking to end a run of 11 straight games without a win that has seen them lose eight matches and tie three. They have tied both their last two games: 3-3 against Cornell and 1-1 in their last Ivy clash against Dartmouth. The Crimson has only found the back of the net eight times in 15 games this season, and sophomore midfielder Obiajulu Agha and junior forward Brian Rogers lead the scoring charts for the team with two goals apiece.
“The coaches have prepared us a lot for them,” Scott said. “We can’t underestimate them—they’ve still got some good players. We just have to keep playing the game we’re playing—we’re in good form. Our game plan is going to stay the same, really, and we’re going to keep doing our thing.”
The sentiments were echoed by his coach.
“Respecting your opponent is always necessary and this game is no different,” Anderson said. “We have prepared physically, mentally, and tactically consistent for this fixture and must implement our game plan.”
The clash marks the last home game of 2011 for the Lions. Kickoff against the Crimson is slated for 4 p.m. tomorrow.
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