Outburst on Offense Brings Second Ivy Win

Coming off its fifth straight loss, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team looked to reverse the trend against Columbia in its fifth Ivy League match-up of the season. When the struggle ended, the Crimson had escaped a near-epic comeback by the Lions and emerged with the 13-12 win.

Last year, Columbia (7-8, 0-7 Ivy League) won its first-ever Ivy League match against Harvard (4-10, 2-3 Ivy League). The distinction of being the first Ivy League team to lose to the Lions has not set well with the Crimson.

“Everyone was pumped up to play,” freshman Kaitlin Martin said. “We knew we had to win this game.”

The Crimson scored the first three goals of the game and, by halftime, had amassed a 10-4 advantage over Columbia. Harvard furthered its lead with three more goals to give a nine-goal separation.

“I’m so proud of this group,” Crimson coach Sarah Nelson said. “Our team, for the first time this season, started strong on the road.”

In the first half, Harvard outshot its opponents 25 to 6, leading to the large deficit.

With twenty minutes left in the second frame, the game appeared all but won for Harvard. The Lions, however, proved that victory would not be won so easily.

“When we went to the half,” Nelson said, “we got complacent. [Columbia] came out and fought hard in the second half. They put us back on our heels.”

Columbia would not allow another Crimson goal for the final 20 minutes—Harvard mustered only five shots on goal—and posted a fierce offensive drive.

“We weren’t able to keep the ball down on offense,” Martin said. “Every time we did, we would lose it. Columbia had the momentum.”

In a span of 14 minutes and 21 seconds, Columbia found the net on eight separate occasions, bringing the Lions a single goal away from overtime. Junior Katie Warner almost provided the tying tally in the final seconds of the game. Warner’s shot narrowly missed as it sailed far left of the goal.

“I have to give credit to Columbia,” Nelson said. “They didn’t give up.”

The missed attempt allowed Harvard to escape with the road win, bringing the team closer to .500 in Ivy competition.

Sophomore Natalie Curtis provided four goals while freshmen Sarah Bancroft and Kaitlin Martin added three scores and one assist apiece. Junior Kate Lombard and sophomore Marisa Marcellino each posted a hat trick for the Lions.

Senior Allie Kaveney and junior Margaret Yellott posted one assist each on Harvard goals. Each had two ground balls, while Kaveney added three draw controls and Yellott had three caused turnovers. Senior Bridget Driscoll and Bancroft each controlled three ground balls, and junior Kathryn Tylander made eight saves.

Harvard will finish its regular season this week with two home league games. The Crimson will host Brown on Wednesday and Cornell on Friday.

“The games are tremendously important,” Nelson said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs. We would love to end the season with two wins.”