Columbia Lions Secure 2-0 Victory Over Manhattan Jaspers

RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Columbia didn’t just grind out another road win on Saturday. The Lions imposed themselves, absorbed Manhattan’s early punches, then walked out of Gaelic Park with a 2-0 victory, a second straight clean sheet, and a reminder of what this program can look like when it travels with purpose.

The scoreline came to life after the break, but the foundation was laid in the first half, when Manhattan came hunting.

Taki stands tall, Lions bend but don’t break

The Jaspers started sharper. They pressed, they probed, and they forced Columbia goalkeeper Aris Taki into the kind of busy opening half that can tilt a match.

In the 29th minute, Cristiano Marsilii forced Taki into action. Four minutes later, Marsilii tested him again. Taki answered both times. When Giovanni Rivera stepped up with another effort in the 36th minute, the sophomore keeper was there once more, preserving a 0-0 scoreline that felt increasingly valuable as halftime approached.

Columbia went into the break level, not fluent but still firmly in the contest. Manhattan had the early momentum. Taki had the answers.

Heyward pounces, Columbia finally breaks through

The game turned in the 58th minute, from a set piece and a moment of sharp reaction.

Jack McDaid swung in a corner that drifted to the far post, where first-year Joshua Sosa rose to meet it. His header crashed off the woodwork, the ball ricocheting back into the danger area. Ethan Heyward reacted first, pouncing on the rebound and burying it to give Columbia a 1-0 lead.

It was Heyward’s third goal of the season, pulling him level with McDaid for the team lead. It was also the release Columbia had been searching for after a tight, nervous opening hour.

From there, the Lions took control.

Kapranov caps flowing move to seal it

With Manhattan chasing, space began to open, and Columbia’s attack finally started to breathe. The Lions outshot the Jaspers 10-3 over the final 45 minutes, with Oli Sacks and Jackson ten Oever both forcing second-half saves from substitute goalkeeper Philip Isaksson.

The pressure finally told in the 78th minute, and this time the goal was all about craft and combination.

Luke Zielinski sparked the move, collecting the ball in the middle of the pitch and threading a pass into Stepan Kapranov, stationed about 10 yards outside the box and shielding his defender. With one touch, Kapranov flicked the ball cleverly into the path of Fadel Kone. Kone returned it immediately on the give-and-go, sliding the ball back into Kapranov’s stride.

Clean through on goal, Kapranov didn’t hesitate. He drove his finish into the top-right corner, a ruthless strike that pushed the lead to 2-0 and effectively shut the door on any Manhattan comeback.

Road form returns, history extended

By the final whistle, Columbia had done more than just protect a lead. The Lions had controlled the second half, backed by a defense that limited Manhattan’s looks and a goalkeeper who refused to be beaten.

Taki finished with four saves, securing his second career victory and a second consecutive shutout in as many starts. The win pushed Columbia to 2-1-1 on the season and extended its dominance in the all-time series to 11-1-3 against the Jaspers. Manhattan dropped to 2-3-0.

There was another milestone tucked inside the result: Columbia has now won back-to-back road games for the first time since 2018. For a program trying to reestablish itself as a consistent force away from home, that matters.

The road swing isn’t over yet. Columbia wraps up its three-game trip on Tuesday at Temple (0-4-2), with kickoff at 4 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Two straight wins. Two straight clean sheets. A keeper in form and an attack finding different ways to score. The question now is simple: can the Lions turn a promising week on the road into the standard for the rest of their season?