Men's Soccer Remains Winless In Ivy League Play With 1-1 Draw Against Penn

Upper West Side NY

14 October, 2021

4:02 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY TAKASHI WILLIAMS AND CALEB DYE OCTOBER 11, 2021 The Columbia men's soccer team's winning drought continued Saturday night in its match against Penn. Although the Light Blue was the first team to find the back of the net, it was unable to hold onto its lead. Columbia ultimately had to settle for its third overtime tie of the season. Neither Columbia (1-6-3, 0-1-1 Ivy) nor Penn (4-3-2, 0-1-1 Ivy) were successful in their first Ivy League matches of the season, losing to Brown (3-6-0, 1-1-0 Ivy) and Cornell (7-1-1, 2-0-0 Ivy), respectively. Both teams arrived at their face-off at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium eager to secure their first conference wins. The Light Blue entered the match coming off of a four-loss streak, having not won a game since its season opener against George Washington University. In a stark contrast, the Quakers triumphed in four of their six preseason games. From the kickoff, the Lions were looking to prove themselves. Columbia started the match with a prime scoring opportunity in the fourth minute after junior defender Max Gonzalez intercepted the ball, leading to a shot that sailed just over the crossbar from first-year forward Ryan Kipness. The Quakers responded by creating opportunities in the form of two corner kicks in the fifth and ninth minutes. Both were shut down by the Light Blue defense. The back-and-forth battle of the first half was finally disrupted in the half's closing minute, when Columbia gained the upper hand with its first goal in Ivy play. Sophomore forward Jake Novoshelski found the ball right in front of him after a well-placed cross from sophomore forward Will DeNight and deflected it to score his second goal of the season, earning himself a spot as the team's leading scorer. "It felt really good especially because goals have been something we've been lacking this year." Novoshelski said. "We were talking about how we need to go into halftime with the lead, which is something that we've been struggling to do this season. To do that was really important—to change the energy of everyone and it was really a confidence booster for myself as well." With a 1-0 lead, the Light Blue marched into the second half with solid control over the tempo of the game. However, the Quakers soon regained control of the field and were awarded two chances on goal in the 67th minute and 72nd minute, ultimately sinking an equalizer in the 73rd minute. The Lions found themselves in a familiar position: tied late in a match. In an attempt to win in regulation, Columbia fought on with a couple of corner kick opportunities in the 82nd and 83rd minutes. However, the team was unable to capitalize on these late chances and the match was pushed into overtime, marking the third Columbia game to go into overtime this season. The Lions hoped that they would be able to secure an overtime win, but Penn's offense started firing on all cylinders, putting Columbia on the retreat for much of the first half of overtime play. The first overtime period was filled with a flurry of acrobatic saves by junior goalkeeper Michael Collodi as Penn dominated the offensive plays. In only the fifth minute, Collodi was forced to make a routine save that was drilled toward the bottom right of the net. After a corner kick in the sixth minute, Collodi made another impressive save from a header. The first half of overtime concluded with two more tough saves made by Collodi to keep the Lions in contention. Entering the second half of overtime, the Lions showed more control over the game. They maintained possession to win battles in the midfield and apply pressure to Penn's defense. Unfortunately, the team fell short and was unable to execute, having no shots on goal. The Lions' only two shots came from DeNight in the 15th and 16th minutes of overtime. Head coach Kevin Anderson said that execution of shots is a key aspect of the game that the team is still developing. "We created three more clear opportunities, and those moments are really difficult," Anderson said. "Now, it's about just being able to execute at that moment. You have to be able to win that 'battle' and solve that problem." The Light Blue is currently above only Dartmouth (1-8, 0-2 Ivy) in the Ivy table with one point. The Lions will have a chance to move up in the conference when they face Princeton on Oct. 16. Kickoff will take place at 4 p.m. at Roberts Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey. The match will also be streamed on ESPN+. Staff writer Caleb Dye can be contacted at [email protected]. Staff writer Takashi Williams can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator Sports on Twitter at @CUSpecSports. 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.