Men's Soccer Shutout at Columbia, 1-0, on Saturday
Blue Devils to host Howard at home Wednesday.
The Central Connecticut men's soccer team fell to Columbia, 1-0, on Saturday on the campus of Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. The Blue Devils finished with a slight edge in shots, but were unable to overcome a first half deficit.
CCSU slips to 0-3-1 on the year, while Columbia improves to 2-1.
Columbia opened the scoring on a corner kick in the early going. Nike Azuma sent his kick into the box where it was headed in by Vana Markarian to make it 1-0 at the 18:14 mark.
The Blue Devils would pressure offensively in an effort to draw level before halftime. In the 28th minute, senior James Randall got off a shot that forced a save by Zach Adler. Just before intermission sophomore Sebastian Calderon got off a header on frame that Adler stopped.
Central had an 11-3 advantage in shots in the second half, including a shot from close range in the early going from freshman Andres Muriel Albino. The Lions' Adler would make four stops after halftime and finish the game with six saves to collect the shutout.
CCSU finished the game with a 13-9 edge in shots and had five corner kicks.
Senior Nick Velleca started in net for CCSU and played the first half, making one save.
Central returns home to host Howard on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in an afternoon kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. at CCSU Soccer Field.