Field Hockey Knocks Off Columbia on Senior Day

The last sound of the Harvard field hockey team’s season was thunderous applause.

For the final minute of a 4-1 victory over Columbia, the Crimson fan section shook the stands of Jordan Field with a spontaneous mix of pounding feet and yelling voices. The noise could have been a reaction to the team’s dominant performance over the Lions, or it could have been for Harvard’s four seniors, whom the program recognized with plaques after the Senior Day game.

But the applause that broke out celebrated something larger, namely the end of a season in which Harvard (10-7, 4-3 Ivy) clawed to the top half of the Ivy League and earned its first overall winning record since 2004.

“We spent the last whole year just prepared to make this a winning season,” senior Caitlin Rea said. “Having three years of losing seasons, it’s amazing to finish with such a high.”

Even though the game against Columbia (12-5, 5-2) marked the Crimson’s Senior Day, it was sophomore forward Marissa Balleza who stole the show. Balleza scored a hat trick within 41 minutes to help Harvard jump out to a 4-0 lead.

Aside from the Senior Day festivities, the game had crucial importance for the rest of the Ancient Eight. The Lions entered Cambridge in a tie for first place with Princeton, but after the loss to the Crimson and a win by the Tigers, Columbia ended the season in second.

“We established what kind of intent and attitude we needed to show up with today,” said Harvard coach Tjerk van Herwaarden. “The team had a very clear mission. They didn’t want Columbia to win an Ivy League championship on our home field.”

Throughout the game, the Crimson found success on the counter-attack. Harvard’s first goal began with a long pass from midfielder Elizabeth Warner to back Elizabeth Jacobson. After spinning around her defender, Jacobson found Balleza near the edge of the striking circle, and Belleza’s top right finish beat the goalkeeper.

The imbalanced score line misrepresented parts of the game that featured competitive end-to-end action. At several stages of the match, the Crimson struggled to clear the ball, and this difficulty led to dangerous probing by the Lions. Columbia earned nine penalty corners compared to Harvard’s two, and the visitor’s lone goal came off such an opportunity in the 59^th minute.

By the time the Lions got on the board, though, the Crimson held a 4-0 advantage. Balleza scored the team’s fourth goal in the 41^st minute with a first-time finish off a cross from teammate Ellie Cookson. It was her third goal of the game and team-leading ninth on the season.

“I’ve been frustrated with my play [recently] and not being able to get shots off,” Balleza said. “Today I thought, all right, it’s the last game of the season, we have to give it our all. I was just trying to rip some shots.”

Balleza’s second goal of the game, which came in the 24^th minute, followed a similar model. After collecting a ball that was bouncing around the goalmouth, senior Noel Painter found Balleza for another quick hit.

After the final whistle, the Harvard crowd stuck around to recognize the four seniors on the team. Catriona McDonald, Kaitlyn Boudah, Rea, and Painter had played a combined 257 games and recorded 130 points.

“Playing with my best friends for four years has been an amazing experience,” Rea said. “It’s pretty tough leaving it now, and it feels so soon. [It’s] definitely an emotional day.”

The win over the Lions capped off an impressive final four games that included tight matches against conference-leading Princeton and nationally ranked Boston College. By beating Dartmouth and Columbia over the past two weekends, the Crimson ensured a winning record in the Ivy League for the first time since 2007.

“There’s no reason why Harvard field hockey should not be successful,” van Herwaarden said. “We have fantastic athletes and a fantastic school behind us…. With the right work and the right attitude, we can accomplish a lot. This season is the first of many great seasons to come.”