Women's Lacrosse Outlasts Columbia

Grit. Determination. Whatever you call it, it’s a value that the Harvard women’s lacrosse team considers essential.

Indeed, head coach Lisa Miller said in an earlier interview that two of the most important things she looks for from her team are “psychological toughness and persistence.”

Those intangible qualities were on full display Saturday, as the Crimson (5-3, 2-0 Ivy League) outlasted Columbia (5-4, 1-2 Ivy) in a scrappy, back and forth contest at Harvard Stadium to win, 10-8. The victory marks the team’s fourth game this season that has been decided by two points or fewer.

“Our kids scrap and hustle,” Miller said. “If shots are not falling we lean on our ride and defense. There are many ways to be successful in this game if your trust each other and play as a team, this we proved on Saturday.”

Although the final result was a successful one for Harvard, it did not come easily.

The Crimson got into repeated foul trouble, committing 34 infractions, its second-highest total for a single game this year. Columbia only posted 25.

Harvard also had its least efficient offensive performance of the season, scoring just 28 percent of its 36 shots. Tellingly, the Crimson failed to convert on any of its three free position chances, while the Lions scored on two of their five opportunities.

However, Columbia only mustered 17 total efforts on frame, and Harvard capitalized early on its shots advantage. Senior attacker Marisa Romeo scored with a rip to the bottom corner less than three minutes into the first half.

The Lions didn’t take long to respond, though. Columbia found the back of the Crimson net just over a minute after Romeo’s opening goal to level the score at 1-1.

Although the Lions didn’t take the lead once, they would make sure that Harvard was never comfortable in its advantage, tying up the contest twice more over the course of the afternoon.

Nonetheless, the Crimson’s persistence paid off in the end, as Harvard overwhelmed Columbia in nearly every statistical category. The Crimson outdid its opponent in turnovers, draw controls, and clear percentage.

The Lions did top Harvard in saves, with Columbia junior goalkeeper Kelsey Gedin registering 14 stops, twice as many as the Crimson, but the barrage of Harvard shots proved too much for the Lions netminder.

It was Romeo in particular who caused trouble for Gedin and the Columbia defense.

The Syracuse, N.Y., native fired off eight shots throughout the game and her proficiency in front of the opposition net, particularly in the second half, proved decisive for the Crimson.

Romeo racked up a game-high four goals and two assists on the day. She also scored all three of Harvard’s goals in the second period to quash the Lions’ comeback attempt.

“Marisa made big plays when we needed her to, which really helped deflate Columbia’s momentum,” tri-captain midfielder Megan Hennessey said. “We wanted her to have the ball; we trust her when it’s in her stick.”

The Crimson had gotten to halftime in a reasonably secure position, leading 7-5.

After Columbia tied the game at one apiece early on, tri-captain attacker Maeve McMahon scored twice, once with an astonishing behind-the-back shot from outside the crease.

Junior midfielder Julia Glynn and junior attacker Eliza Guild each found the back of the Columbia net as well to stretch the Harvard advantage to 5-3, but the Lions scored two quick goals to even the scoreline once more.

Glynn handed the lead back to the Crimson, receiving a pass from Romeo and beating the Columbia keeper with a shot fake, before sophomore midfielder Keeley MacAfee netted a goal to send Harvard into the break ahead by two.

The second stanza would be defined by the Crimson’s gritty defensive play and Romeo’s attacking ability.

Columbia exploded out of the gates after the restart, as Lions junior attacker Victoria Kalamaras scored twice in less than 10 minutes to drag her team level for a third time.

It was after Kalamaras’ second score that Harvard picked up its game, limiting Columbia to just five shots for the remainder of the closing period and preventing the Lions from registering a single effort on goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, Romeo took over. First, the senior beat a Columbia defender with a quick cut and beat Gedin at the top corner, pulling the Crimson back into the lead. She went on to net another just over 30 seconds later, sneaking a low blast into the goal from distance to stretch the score to 9-7.

Romeo’s third goal of the game completed her sixth hat trick of the campaign, but the senior wasn’t finished.

After the Lions pulled the game within one point with another goal, senior defender Marina Burke capitalized on a Columbia turnover and found McMahon in the middle of the field. McMahon picked out Romeo, who slashed home a shot to complete the 10-8 scoreline with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest.

Harvard managed to see out the rest of the game, causing five more Lions turnovers and completing three clear attempts before the final whistle.

“I have to give Columbia credit, they have had close games with good teams and are playing good defense,” Miller said. “Their midfielders were very gritty and all over the field yesterday, [but] we played great defense the whole way.”

—Staff writer Sam O.M. Christenfeld can be reached at sam.christenfeld@thecrimson.com