Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the 18th ranked Columbia College men's soccer team was back in action when they played host to the Lyon (Ark.) College Scots in their final game of the regular season. The Cougars were able to defeat the Scots by a final score of 1-0 to improve to 14-2-2 on the season and 10-0-1 in AMC play. With the win, Columbia has clinched a share of the AMC regular season title and earned the second seed in the AMC Championships.
This match served as senior day for Columbia College and before the match the seniors were honored for their hard work and dedication to the program. Seniors Nick Horne, Elvis Barclay, Matija Ceraj, Carter Cox, and Michael Mayberry were all recognized.
It did not take long for the Cougars to get on the board in this one as Matija Ceraj was able to hit a shot from nearly 30 yards out three minutes into the game past the Scots keeper and into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season to give Columbia a 1-0 lead. The Cougars continued to push the tempo as the half progressed but were unable to find the back of the net as the score remained 1-0 heading into the halftime break. Columbia outshot the Scots 9-1 in the half.
The Cougars came out in the second half and were able to create several scoring opportunities early posting three shots in the first 13 minutes of the period. The Scots battled back and created several chances of their own but neither side was able to score in the half as Columbia closed them out down the stretch to solidify a share of the AMC regular season title.
Nicolau Neto was in goal for Columbia as the senior posted two saves in his eighth solo shutout of the season.
The Cougars are back in action on Saturday, November 4th when they host the AMC Quarterfinals match against the seventh seed in the conference tournament. The game is set to start at 3 p.m.
