This defeat marks seven straight winless games for the Lions as they fall 0-1 for the fifth time this season.

First off, hell of a first half of the first half. Fantastic passing and possession. Excellent way to start the game by involving the defense and not forcing the ball forward where Brown’s defense is waiting. The outside backs (the two defenders on the outside of the formation) were playing aggressively and supporting the offense. I truly thought something in the team’s mindset had changed, and I was looking at a brand new team. Then, in the 32nd minute, Ryan Kipness had a breakaway on the left side of the field and was brutally slide tackled and taken down by a Brown defender. At that moment, everything fell apart. Brown gained momentum and began attacking. They scored on a corner kick just seven minutes later and kept the Lions on the back foot the rest of the 45 minute half.

End of Half: 1-0 Brown

Mind you, our defense is still playing superbly. Goalkeeper Michael Collodi continues to pilot the team and ranks top five in save percentage and top 20 in goals against average (GAA) throughout the NCAA. This is the 5th 0-1 loss for the Lions and when a scoreline like this consistently appears, one can normally surmise that the team has simply been unlucky. Luck is an extremely important factor in soccer. Thanks to a bit of decent defending, bad shooting from the opposition, and a lucky goal, even the worst team can beat the best team. The Lions have a great defensive foundation and are able to possess the ball for long periods of time–something professional teams struggle to do. However, Columbia seems to currently be incapable of capitalizing in the offensive third of the field. Poor shooting and a lack of aggressiveness when attacking are the main reason for this failure.

Anyway, everything went to shit in the second half. Brown took over and halted nearly all of Columbia’s progress before they were able to get to the final third. If you read my last article, you’ll know I said the Lions need to cut down on their fouling if they want to succeed. Well, you’ll never guess what happened. They fouled more this game. The Lions amassed 12 fouls throughout the game, bringing their season total to 98 fouls. For reference, opposing teams have only accumulated 70 fouls in games against Columbia. The Lions lead the Ivy League in yellow (16) and red (3) cards and have a fouls-per-game average of 12.25. Frustration, Brown players mocking us, late tackles, and explicit comments led to multiple fights throughout the game, with teammates having to constantly pull each other off of the competition. Props to striker Sebastian Gunbeyi, who practically threw a Brown player five feet away from him after the player made a rude remark. That kid’s life probably flashed before his eyes. In the 73rd minute alone, Columbia was given three yellow cards in three separate incidents. In the final minute of the game, Columbia was handed two red cards after a physical altercation had broken out with a Brown player who received a red card as well. 

Final Score: 1-0 Brown

Columbia now stands 1-5-2 overall and 0-1-0 in Ivy League conference play. Dartmouth (0-7) is still in last place (sucks to suck). Cornell (6-1-1) leads the conference after defeating the University of Pennsylvania (state) 3-0. The Lions will head to Hofstra tomorrow and return to Ivy League competition home against Penn (state) on Saturday, October 9th. 

scoreboard via mclt