Men's soccer beats Harvard for first time in seven years

The men’s soccer team (6-8-2, 2-3-1 Ivy) achieved its first road success of the 2010 campaign as it triumphed 1-0 at Harvard (4-7-5, 1-3-2 Ivy) on Saturday. Freshman midfielder David Najem scored the winner as the Lions extended their unbeaten run in the Ivy League to three games and earned their first win over the Crimson since 2003.

Prior to the Lions’ visit, last season’s Ivy champions were undefeated at Ohiri Field in conference play this season. The win, regardless of the result against Cornell next weekend, ensures that the Lions will end the season with their best conference record since 2004—maybe even better the 2-4-1 record they achieved back then.

The Lions started strong and came out seeking to avenge their midweek defeat against Adelphi. Junior co-captain Mike Mazzullo, senior fullback Hayden Johns, junior attacker Francois Anderson, and freshman attacker Henning Sauerbier all had efforts at goal in the opening stages but could not find the breakthrough.

The match-winner came from Najem, who was on target for the third time this season. His marauding run through the middle coupled with a neat one-two with sophomore forward Will Stamatis to lead to the Lions’ goal. Najem slid the ball to Stamatis, who returned the favor with a first-time pass, and Najem coolly finished past Austin Harms in the Crimson goal to give the Light Blue the lead in the 33rd minute. Stamatis was a thorn in Harvard’s side all afternoon, and he consistently pressured the Crimson defense into giving the ball away and squandering possession.

The Lions’ defense, comprised of Johns and juniors Ronnie Shaban, Nick Faber, and Jesse Vella, put on a much stronger showing than it did against Adelphi and prevented Harvard from creating any real chances in the first period. The defenders were aided by Mazzullo and freshman midfielder Steven Daws, who tracked their runners exceptionally to shut out the Crimson attack.

The Lions went into the halftime break with a well deserved lead and had the edge 7-3 in shots.

Both teams’ offenses were stifled for the most part in the second half by solid defending, and the Crimson’s only noteworthy chance of the contest was a long-range effort by Kyle Henderson. The save was one of three made by Columbia goalkeeper Alex Aurrichio to earn his fourth shutout of the campaign. Harvard had defender Richard Smith sent off for a foul in the 71st minute, leaving his side facing an uphill battle.

The lone goal proved decisive and gave the Lions the three points. It was nothing but deserved, as the Light Blue outshot the Crimson 12-9 on their way to victory. The defense played an important role in the win, earning the shutout and recovering from its midweek defeat.

“Adelphi wasn’t our best performance by any means,” Faber said. “We all knew we had to do better, and we did that.”

“It’s a great feeling to beat Harvard, especially up in Boston,” Faber continued. “It isn’t something we’ve done in a while which just adds to the feeling. We played quite well, executed our game plan, and everybody got rewarded for their work.”

Faber’s center-back partner Shaban played his part in defense, and for his troubles, earned a torn shirt that highlighted the physical nature of the contest. He had to finish the game wearing senior co-captain Peppe Carotenuto’s No. 7 shirt.

“I think our tackling was a huge improvement, and we were able to win the ball back from them,” Shaban said. “That helped us control the middle of the field and disrupted their attacks, which was crucial and gave us the win.”

“Last time we went to Boston was an unpleasant experience where we lost 6-1. … This just feels incredible, and it shows the progress the program has made in two seasons,” he added.

The Lions will be looking to close out the season in style when they host Cornell in the final game of the 2010 campaign. Faber is confident ahead of the season finale.

“We can definitely end the season with a win and close our record at .500 in the Ivies,” he said. “We’re confident, and we’re looking forward to it.”

The Lions will look to close out the season in style when they host Cornell in the final game of the 2010 campaign. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Columbia Soccer Stadium.