Bigger than Columbia’s win over Blair Academy Tuesday night at Underhill Field was the celebration of their 19 seniors in what could be their final home game.
Before the game, each of them greeted family members at midfield with a rose and a hug, celebrating Senior Night and the culmination of their soccer careers.
“It was nice to be able to celebrate this game with my parents after all they’ve done for me and all the sacrifices they’ve made throughout my soccer career,” said senior captain Malachy Meyer.
For coaches and players, Senior Night is more than the result of the game. It represents the final time many of the seniors will play in front of their family, friends, and classmates. “We always make a concentrated effort to get everybody in and to make sure everybody has a good time that night,” said head coach Ryan Muirhead after the game. He achieved his goal, with each of Columbia’s 19 seniors seeing the field that night. Senior striker Garrett Dyson’s goal midway through the first half was enough to propel the Cougars to a 1-0 victory, an added bonus on this celebratory night.
Photo by Jack Kalsched
As Muirhead concludes his third year as head coach – his first coming during the COVID pandemic – he continues to instill the culture and values that will make Columbia a winning program for years to come. However, Muirhead cannot do this alone.
“It’s been a top-down,” he said. “You get the seniors on the same page, and this starts to trickle down through the lower levels. They’re the guys that have to set the example.”
Given the lack of facilities that all Columbia sports teams face daily, the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman soccer teams often practiced at the same time on Ritzer Field. This had the unexpected benefit of allowing Columbia’s seniors to set the standard for the other players to reach. The other teams had the opportunity “to see the older guys; how they carry themselves, how they work, and that really sets the tone and the expectation for them,” said Muirhead, “we can point to these guys as role models.”
Photo by Jack Kalsched
After winning their first round of the county tournament last week against Glen Ridge, Columbia was eliminated in their 2-1 loss to West Orange this past Saturday. The Cougars will play at Verona on Friday, October 21, and their hopes of postseason success are still alive with the upcoming state tournament.
List of Seniors:
- Sumner Verdun
- Sebastian Bellard
- Carlos Corbacho
- Garrett Dyson
- Nicholas Franklin
- Javen Goldstein
- Anderson Jimenez
- Cooper Josefsberg
- Cyrus Merriweather
- Malachy Meyer
- Braden Miller
- Max Mittleberg
- Jack Niles
- Jean Pierre Alexander
- Eliot Photiades
- Holden Reeves
- James Van Varick
- Jaiden Wright
- Jon Yourkowski
Photo by Jack Kalsched
