“We stayed the course,” head coach Damon Rensing said following the game. “Last year, I don’t think we'd  pull this game out, but this year, they have the confidence that they can score goals.”

It was the Spartans' first game at home following a 1-1 start to the year during a road trip to Dallas. In the tournament, they upset No. 12 SMU 2-1 before losing 2-0 to Oral Roberts two days later in a game during which they dominated possession and shots, but failed to convert the chances that Oral Roberts did.

For awhile on Monday, Columbia seemed like déjà vu.

While MSU possessed the momentum entering the second half, it was Columbia that came out more daring. The Ivy League opposition had their best attack of the game seemingly stunted as a curling 24-yard strike from Columbia freshman John Denis met the top left crossbar before it soared skyward.

Center forward Arthur Bosua stuck with the play for the Lions, fending off multiple MSU defenders before chesting it back downwards to senior captain Andrew Tinari. Positioned at the top right side of the six-yard box, Tinari took two anticipatory strides before hitting the hopping ball into the bottom left just wide of goalkeeper Jimmy Hagues’ sprawled frame to open the scoring during the 51st minute.

“Gave up a tough one,” Rensing said about the first goal. “We’re playing against the odds. Seventy-five percent of division one games, whoever scores first gets the win or ties.”

The first half was relatively humdrum, although there were glimmers of excitement.

Six minutes into the game, sophomore forward Ryan Sierakowski fired a shot toward the goal that glanced off of the post and away. The next 34 minutes saw only one additional attempt from either side.

The last five minutes of the first half saw the Spartans assert their offensive advantage, leading to chances for both teams.

“We had a couple chances in the first half but, you know, they didn’t go in,” junior midfielder Ken Krolicki said.

Seizing on the forward-leaning MSU formation, Columbia enjoyed their first real offensive threat of the game, with a good ball springing Columbia attacker Dylan Mott down the sideline. Mott aggressively cut toward goal and forced a save from a tight angle, with Hague clenching the side-footer.

MSU earned the first two corners of the game within the final two minutes, with one leading to a Brad Centala half-volley from the same position that Columbia would score from during the beginning of the second half. The diagonal shot crossed the path of several Columbia defenders and struck multiple blockers, rousing MSU players to plead for a handball. Nothing was given, and the game entered the half unswayed 0-0.

After Columbia scored at the beginning of the half, it seemed game over. During the 71st minute, though, the dam finally broke for MSU. Sophomore forward DeJuan Jones took the initiative and glided through the back line, step overs galore. What appeared to be a heavy touch after one last skillful endeavor wound up on the foot of Krolicki, and he didn’t hesitate. The shot rolled into the bottom right corner, evening the game 1-1.

“DeJuan (Jones) did a good job beating a couple of players on the wide right,” Krolicki said about the goal. “I just kind of stole it from him, but thankfully it went in.”

MSU continued to scavenge for chances, but as the clock ticked on, Columbia remained resolute in their commitment to defense. With five minutes remaining, however, Columbia obtained possession and started to look for a chance.

After a spell of Lions’ possession, MSU retook the ball and looked ahead. Giuseppe Barone delivered a long, looping pass to Jones on the left flank. With a three-to-two advantage, Jones went alone and his six-yard shot withstood a deflection that ultimately unhitched the goalkeeper. The ball nestled in the bottom right corner, giving the Spartans a 2-1 lead during the 86th minute.

“It’s a great feeling, especially to be back on our home turf,” Jones said. “Feels really good to score in front of the home crowd. Just happy to get the result today.”

Columbia regained their impetus for attack and, with just a minute left, earned a corner. The delivery perfectly parted the defense and Columbia had several players on the back post to ostensibly draw even. However, before the celebration could begin, the referee whistled the play dead for an infraction. In the mix of things, Hague was taken down, and MSU was awarded the ball and ultimately the game.

“We had to do a better job of defending as a team,” Krolicki said. “We can’t allow that goal to go in. We kind of got lucky there.”

MSU now stands at 2-1 in the regular season. They begin their Big Ten conference season on Friday, facing Rutgers at 5 p.m.

“I look at the three performances, and it’s hard to be too disappointed with the guys in effect that we’ve given up at least one goal in the games,” Rensing said. “We’ve outplayed each opponent that we’ve played, so I feel good about that.“