Women's Soccer Secures Ivy League Title in Double Overtime

Check out the game told in photos here.

When the Harvard women’s soccer team took the field for sudden death overtime on Saturday afternoon against Columbia, it was not just the game that was on the line for the two sides. After four months and a combined 33 games contested by the squads, the Ivy League title race was coming down to just two 10-minute extra periods.

The Crimson entered the contest atop the conference standings, one point ahead of the second-place Lions. A win by either team on this last day of the season would hand it the championship, while a draw would allow Harvard to hold on to the top spot by the slimmest of margins. As it stood after 90 minutes, the next goal would win the Ivy.

After forcing several acrobatic saves from Columbia goalkeeper Allison Spencer in the first overtime period, the Crimson pressed again early in the second. Senior forward Joan Fleischman swung in a corner from the left of goal after making a run to the end line, and after a Lions defender missed with her attempt at a clearing header, the ball fell to another senior forward, Rachel Garcia, right in front of the net.

Co-captain Bailey Gary hoists the trophy. By Ryosuke Takashima

Without hesitating, Garcia fired home, clinching the game and 2016 Ivy League title for Harvard (10-3-3, 5-0-2 Ivy) at Jordan Field. The win completed an undefeated run through the conference slate for the team, the third time it has done so since 2011.

“Joan dribbled down and played an absolutely perfect ball, and I had time to take a touch and finish,” Garcia said. “I was lucky enough to be there.”

Meanwhile, Columbia (7-6-4, 4-2-1 Ivy) dropped to third in the standings after Brown beat Yale later in the day. The Lions were clear atop the table halfway through the season after winning four straight in conference, but earned just one point out of a possible nine through its last three league matches. Harvard secured nine points out nine in the same period to catch and pass them.

“We’ve been in difficult situations all year, knowing that we really had no other option but to beat Princeton, beat Dartmouth, and hope for a chance to play against Columbia [for the title],” said Harvard coach Chris Hamblin. “I’m so proud of the group and how’ve they applied themselves throughout the whole season. To see it come to this exciting ending, and finish in our favor, is just unbelievable.”

By Timothy R. O'Meara

Just as it started brightly in conference play before hitting a few road bumps, the Crimson came out with energy against the Lions and took an early lead before being pegged back. Star senior forward Midge Purce used her speed to blow by the defense and put Harvard up in the 8th minute. The goal put her total tally for the year at 12, a mark only four players in school history have surpassed.

Columbia responded shortly after at the midway point of the first half, however, equalizing through a well-placed header from junior midfielder Caroline Militello. The game settled down after the goal, as both teams slowed down their pace of play, and the score line still read 1-1 as they headed into halftime.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Crimson seized control of the game in the second half, holding a majority of the possession and finding the better scoring chances. The best chance of the half came for the Lions in the 63rd minute, however, after freshman midfielder Maggie Basta conceded a penalty with a foul in the box.

By Ryosuke Takashima

But with a chance to put her team in the driver’s seat to secure the conference title, Columbia sophomore forward Emma Anderson fired her penalty kick wide. The play continued to be wide open as the Lions looked for the goal that would put them atop the standings, while Harvard was just as offensive-minded, despite needing just a draw to secure the championship.

“We said earlier in the week that we weren’t going to try and play for a draw, we wanted to go out and win the game,” said Crimson senior goalkeeper Lizzie Durack. “That’s what we did, we wanted to go out and attack them. We knew that would come with risks, but it was worth it in the end.”

Harvard ended up outshooting Columbia 18-5 over the second half and overtime periods, and the offensive-minded strategy paid off with Garcia’s title-clinching goal.

After being honored before the game in the team’s annual Senior Day ceremony, and celebrating afterwards with the Ivy League trophy, the seniors on the team still have at least one more game to play, this time in the NCAA tournament.

“It’s [NCAA tournament] a new season,” Hamblin said. “All we know right now is that we have one more game. We don’t know where it is, or who it’s against—we’ll find that out on Monday—but I’m really happy that we get a chance to play again.”

—Staff writer George Hu can be reached at yianshenhu@college.harvard.edu