|
Story by Debralee Santos
Photos by Q Photo
This past Sat., Sept. 24th, Columbia kicked off its six-game home schedule with its opener against Albany at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium on West 218th Street, marking the first time that the two teams had faced off against each other. The game was also Columbia’s first Northern Manhattan Neighbors Appreciation Day, where neighborhood residents received free admission with proof of residency.
"We are very excited about our home opener and look forward to welcoming our neighbors, fans, students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni all season long,” said Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education said before the game. And many local residents did, coming out to take advantage of a warm day to enjoy the match between the hometown Lions and the visiting Great Danes.
There were other perks, too.
One collegiate football fan who attended with his family noted, “My neighbors and I took our pre-school age kids for a picnic on the grass before taking our seats, not something you can usually do on a football stadium.”
While Columbia ultimately lost out to Albany, with a final score of 44-21, there was plenty of cheer to be found in the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned football game.
As put by the same fan afterwards, “Who doesn’t want to live in a ‘college town’?”
Columbia returns to action in its Ivy League opener next Sat., Oct. 1, at Princeton for a 6 pm game.
|
