Dartmouth secured a 2-1 victory over Columbia in men’s soccer on Saturday night at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. The match marked Dartmouth’s first Ivy League win of the season, bringing their record to 2-4-3 overall and 1-2-0 in conference play.
The Big Green took the lead in the 33rd minute when first-year player Ben Bilden scored his first career goal, heading in a cross from James Wilson past Columbia goalkeeper Dean Kelliher. This came shortly after Columbia’s Jack McDaid hit the woodwork with a free kick and Alessandro Franciosa forced Dartmouth keeper TJ Jeffreys into a save. Jeffreys made three saves during the game.
Columbia responded early in the second half, leveling the score just 74 seconds after halftime. Amir Yahalom sent a low pass through midfield to Stepan Kapranov, who shielded off a defender before scoring his second goal of the season with a shot that beat Jeffreys.
Ten minutes later, Columbia’s Luke Zielinski nearly gave his team the lead but was denied by another save from Jeffreys. Shortly after, Dartmouth regained their advantage when Olly Spicer and Eidur Baldvinsson combined outside Columbia’s penalty area, leading to Baldvinsson scoring from close range.
A minute following Dartmouth’s go-ahead goal, Alexis Huneau received his second yellow card for grabbing Henning Myrvang from behind on a potential scoring chance and was sent off with a red card. Despite playing with an extra man for over half an hour and outshooting Dartmouth 6-0 during that stretch, Columbia could not find another equalizer. The best opportunity came when Myrvang had a close-range attempt blocked by a Dartmouth defender before it reached Jeffreys.
Columbia (1-5-3 overall; 0-2-1 Ivy) will next travel to Army West Point for a non-conference game on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
After the match, fans were encouraged to follow updates about Columbia men’s soccer on social media platforms Twitter and Instagram (@CULionsMSOC), Facebook (ColumbiaMensSoccer), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.
