Looking For Answers: Women's Soccer Is On A Two-game Losing Streak After Being Bested By Brown

Upper West Side NY

05 October, 2021

3:37 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG OCTOBER 3, 2021 After its first two games of the Ivy League season, Columbia women's soccer is still looking for its first goal. On Saturday afternoon, the Lions (5-4-1, Ivy 0-2-0) were stunned by Brown (7-3-0, Ivy, 2-0-0) after allowing two goals and missing a penalty in the defeat. The Light Blue was ranked No. 33 in the nation a week ago, but have since fallen to 71st, and the team's road ahead remains bumpy. After the first two weeks of contests, Columbia now ranks sixth on the Ivy League table, joining Dartmouth and Yale as the only teams without a conference win. "I'm not going to lie. I wish, as any coach wants, to have the answers for why you are not finishing," head coach Tracey Bartholomew said. "We've had some really easy opportunities. … If we can score, it may open up the floodgates for us." Last week, after a surprising loss to Cornell, Columbia was eager to regain its preseason form and secure a win against the reigning Ivy League champions. The Bears presented a formidable front, coming off two consecutive wins with a strong offense which averaged two and a half goals per game. In their conference opener, Brown bested Dartmouth (4-4-1, Ivy 0-2) 4-1 on its home turf. On Saturday, the Lions appeared to regain the momentum from their early-season five-game winning streak as soon as the game started. For the first five minutes of the game, the Light Blue held control of the ball and organized continuous attacks in the Bears' half. Despite their offensive effort early on, the Lions could not translate possession into real threats at the goal, and Brown was the one to first get a shot off after a free-kick from the halfway line. This became a theme of the game: Although the Light Blue had great possession, the Bears were the ones who generated good shots at the most surprising moments. Had Columbia converted just one of the opportunities it created in the game, the team might have brought back a win. Bartholomew left the game feeling somewhat frustrated, stressing to the players that they must score on those rare chances. Sophomore forward Nata Ramirez shared in Bartholomew's frustration, as she found herself struggling to capitalize on opportunities. In a similar play to a goal called offsides in last week's Cornell game, the ball was headed into the box toward Ramirez in the 12th minute, giving her a convenient angle for her fifth goal of the season. However, she volleyed the ball wide to the left of the goal. Brown gradually took control of possession as the half progressed. After a quiet 10-minute back-and-forth, Ava Seelenfreund delivered a thirty-yard bomb to break sophomore goalkeeper Paige Nurkin's defense. The fastball flew just over Nurkin's hands but comfortably dipped under the bar into the back corner of the goal. Even the Columbia fans on the bleachers remarked on the quality of the goal. The Lions replicated their early aggression as the second half started. Less than three minutes in, sophomore forward Madi Pilla was fouled in the box and took the penalty, but Brown's goalkeeper Kayla Thompson had plenty of time to make the save on the weak shot. When Columbia struggled, Brown delivered. In the 60th minute, midfielder Maesyn G'Bye received the ball on the left side of the box at a poor angle and finessed it inches between the bar and Nurkin's right hand to put the game out of reach for the Lions. Neither of the goals scored by the Bears came from the quality opportunities the Lions had created. Rather, the Bears were more efficient and skilled with their shots, as evidenced by the game's totals: They took 11 shots and had seven on goal, whereas Columbia took 13 shots and had just five on goal. In fact, the Lions could have taken more shots if they had been more careful with the ball in the final stages of their attack. Often, Columbia had great organization from the full backs and midfielders, but once the ball got to the final 30 yards, they took weak shots and their passes were not on target. Throughout the game, the Light Blue had 54 percent possession, but just 24 percent of it was in the final 30 yards of Brown's half. In contrast, 70 percent of the Bears' possession was in Columbia's half. They were more decisive in the midfield and more patient in the Lions' territory. "We just need to be better about just keeping possession and valuing the ball a little bit more when we are in the final third," said Bartholomew. "You see our inexperience … in a lot of moments." Bartholomew said that the next step for the team is to practice its shots in more game-paced situations to get the players used to the pressure of Ivy League competitors. She thought that the practice last week was great, and the young team needed more time to accumulate knowledge of the game. Columbia will host Penn this Saturday at 3 p.m. Penn defeated Cornell 2-0 on Oct. 2 and is currently 1-1 in conference play. This week's game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ at the same time. Staff writer Adam Lang can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow Spectator Sports on Twitter @CUSpecSports. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.