In their third match of Ivy League play this fall, the men’s soccer team (6-3-3 overall, 1-1-1 Ivy League) came out of the weekend with a 1-1 draw on the road against Columbia (4-5-1, 1-1-1). While the Tigers were able to deal with the Lions handily in a 2-1 victory in their 2013 meeting, they struggled to get momentum going their way after allowing a goal just minutes into the match.
Columbia’s lone goal came in just the fourth minute of the match. Midfielder/forward Francisco Agrest put up back-to-back shots that were both blocked by the Tiger defense, but midfielder Andrew Tinari was there for the rebound after the second blocked shot and was able to put the ball away to give the Lions the early lead.
It would not take long for the Tigers to respond, as senior back Joe Saitta put up a long cross into the box in the 16th minute that bent into the back of the net. It was Saitta’s second career goal, as well as his second straight goal in Ivy League play.
Both sides continued to have scoring chances as play continued into the second half and then overtime, but it was not enough to break the gridlock. The Tigers move into a three-way tie for No. 4 in the conference, behind No. 1 Harvard (8-3-1, 2-0-1) and second-place Dartmouth (7-4-1, 2-1) and Penn (6-6, 2-1). With a strong desire for wins as Ivy play progresses, the Tigers were not satisfied with a draw, but admitted it was what they deserved given their effort.
“It just wasn’t our day,” junior forward Thomas Sanner said. “We didn’t play anywhere near our best and couldn’t seem to get things going forward. We still got chances and we’re not happy coming out with a tie but realize that we are still right in the hunt for the Ivy title and an NCAA tournament berth.”
“It was a hard-fought game,” junior back Josh Miller said. “After a long homestand, it was difficult transitioning to a new pitch. In the end it was probably a fair result to walk away with a tie. We didn’t do enough to deserve a win.”
“The game felt very slow, a lot of time wasted on free kicks and throw-ins,” Saitta said. “I think collectively, we didn’t feel like we dominated up the field as we are capable of doing and didn’t have a lot of quality chances.”
The Tigers also believed the conditions of the pitch affected their style of play.
“Unfortunately, I think we left the game feeling that the poor playing surface affected our style of play more than it should have, leading us to play more direct that we have in other games,” senior forward Cameron Porter said. “Going forward, I think we need to focus on two things: not giving up goals early and ensuring we stick to our playing style in the attack.”
“It was a pretty even game and a fair result,” junior forward Nico Hurtado said. “We suffered from an early goal again, which was off of a throw-in, like we had against Brown. We responded well to tie the game up, both teams hit the post. Wind and field conditions affected the game a little, and so we weren’t as sharp with our touches. But we battled and competed and are still alive in the Ivy League.”
Despite the uninspiring outcome of the weekend, the Tigers are optimistic going forward and realized that their future is still in their hands.
“The Ivy League is still wide open, so we are relieved that this result didn’t hurt us,” Saitta said.
The Tigers will take on Harvard on Saturday at home in a decisive game for the Ivy League picture. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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