Men's Soccer Struggles To Find The Back Of The Net In 1-0 Loss Against Iona

Upper West Side NY

28 September, 2021

2:13 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY REBECCA WACHEN SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 In its final matchup before Ivy League play begins, the men's soccer team failed to tie the game back up after an early goal from Iona College. The Lions, who have not won a game since their home opener against George Washington University, have recently struggled to find the back of the net. Including Saturday's loss, the Light Blue has remained scoreless in its last four games, resulting in a 411-minute goal drought. This matchup is the first between Columbia (1-4-2, 0-0 Ivy) and Iona (3-3-1) since 2014. In the past five face-offs, Columbia has edged Iona out 3-2, and the Lions have won both matches played at home. But with Iona's win Saturday, that streak was broken, and the series is now tied 3-3. The Lions looked strong at the very beginning of the game. In the third and fourth minutes, first-year forward Ryan Kipness and senior midfielder Sebastian Gunbeyi both had one-on-one chances to score against Iona goalkeeper Juan Monge. Both shots failed to get around Monge. Once Iona gained possession of the ball, the Gaels stayed in control for several minutes, preventing the Lions from making any more shots on goal. The Gaels were able to maintain their control and eventually find the back of the net in the 12th minute when midfielder Alessio Hernandez aimed the ball in the top right corner of the net to give Iona a 1-0 lead. Iona continued to put pressure on the Lions' defense for the next several minutes. In the 17th minute, two more attempts were made at the Lions' junior goalkeeper Michael Collodi, but he blocked both. Columbia had several other chances to score in the first half, but the Lions continued to struggle to get their shots off. After the game, head coach Kevin Anderson said he believed that the opportunities were there, but that the players needed to find ways to convert when given the chance. "If we continue to create the number of chances we have," Anderson said after the game, "[the players] just need to finish and find that one opportunity." The Lions came into the second half looking for that opportunity, and immediately came out aggressively hoping to tie up the game. One minute into the half, first-year forward Adrien Wheaton-Schopp took a shot, but it was blocked before it reached Iona's goalkeeper. After another stellar save by Collodi, the Light Blue offense nearly converted when a shot by Kipness looked like he tied up the game. The crowd erupted in cheers as the goalie's deflection of the shot hit the crossbar, but an Iona defender was able to kick it out before it crossed the line. Even with the disappointment, the Lions kept the ball on Iona's side of the field, and a foul on the Gaels in the 73rd minute gave Gunbeyi the opportunity to take a shot on Iona's defense. The ball flew over the line of Iona defenders and was perfectly on target to hit the back of the net, but a diving Monge denied the Lions from tying up the game. The final 20 minutes of the match brought an even back-and-forth between the teams, with both taking several shots in turn, but neither team was able to add to its score. Columbia's final chance to score was in the 89th minute, when senior midfielder Andrew Stevens shot the ball just too high. Saturday's defeat was Columbia's fourth straight game without scoring, but the Lions are hoping that things will look different as they head into conference play next week. With an extra day to prepare, Anderson feels positive about the future. "The only difference now is that we have more days to do it, but the preparation remains the same,'' Anderson said. "It's still a group that I think is going to put themselves in the position to compete to win games on a regular basis." The Lions will open up Ivy League play against Brown on Oct. 2. Kickoff will take place at 7 p.m. at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+. Staff writer Rebecca Wachen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_wachen. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.