Columbia Men's Soccer Wins Second Straight, Downs Sacred Heart in OT, 2-1

September 4, 2011

NEW YORK -- Junior forward Will Stamatis scored the game-winning goal on a tremendous individual play just 1:11 into the first overtime period to lift the Columbia men's soccer team to a thrilling 2-1 victory over Sacred Heart at Columbia Soccer Stadium on Sunday.

With the victory the Lions improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2002, when they began the year with four straight wins.

Junior Ifiok Akpandak began the decisive sequence as he sent a cross into the middle of the box from the right side. A Sacred Heart defender got piece of it, but not enough to clear it as the ball came to sophomore David Najem in the middle of the pitch.

Najem, who scored the game-winner against Fairfield in the season opener on Friday and had a pair of assists against the Pioneers, got a shot away that was blocked. The ball came right to Stamatis near the touch line on the left edge of the box.

After settling, Stamatis quickly turned a right-footed a blast over his left shoulder and into the upper-right corner of goal to send the Lions into celebration mode.

Columbia dominated the first half of play, outshooting the Pioneers 9-0 and taking four corner kicks to the visitors none. At the 20-minute mark, the Lions used some deft passing to get on the scoreboard. Najem began the play by finding classmate Henning Sauerbier making a run up the middle.

The Dueren, Germany product slipped a perfect pass to a streaking Francois Anderson, who one-touched the ball past SHU goalkeeper Alex Fait and put the Lions up 1-0.

Minutes later, Columbia had a prime chance to extend its lead. First-year Kofi Agyapong took a corner kick in the 26th minute and found Stamatis at the 10-yard mark right in front of the net. The Morningside, N.J. native got a clean header off and was denied only by a Sacred Heart defender that was lurking at the goal line.

In the 36th minute, Stamatis nearly struck again as he turned and fired a left-footed shot from 25 yards out that hit the side netting of the goal. For the match, Stamatis led the Lions with four shots, three of which were on frame.

After intermission, the Pioneers came out aggressively and came up with the equalizer 2:21 into the second half. Omer Levy sent a long pass to Brian Francolini up top. Francolini fended a defender off on his right side and slipped a shot under Columbia goalkeeper Alexander Aurrichio to knot the contest at 1-1.

The match would go back and forth for the remainder of regulation. Aurrichio stopped a shot from Justin Brewer on the right side in the 59th minute, while his counterpart Fait did the same on shots from first-year Greg Gudis in the 71st minute and Sauerbier in 87th.

From there, the sides would play evenly over the final three minutes of regulation leading into the overtime period.

Anderson and Agyapong added three shots each for the Lions, who outshot the Pioneers 15-3 on the match.

Columbia will look for its third straight win on Tuesday, Sept. 6, as it takes on Saint Peter's at Columbia Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m.