Women's Soccer Finally Scores And Captures First Ivy Win Over Penn

Upper West Side NY

13 October, 2021

12:05 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG OCTOBER 10, 2021 After two consecutive Ivy League games without scoring, the Columbia women's soccer team was finally able to score and win its first Ivy game after head coach Tracey Bartholomew worked her magic in practice and changed her shoes—which she said may have been the real problem all along. "I've been coaching so long that I wouldn't be superstitious," Bartholomew said. "But at some point I was like 'we're not scoring goals in the Ivy, this is weird, I'm changing my shoes.'" On Saturday afternoon, the Lions (6-4-1, 1-2-0 Ivy) scored two goals in five minutes to secure their first Ancient Eight win this season, scoring for the first time since the preseason game against Quinnipiac University (9-2-0) on Sept. 19. However, despite defeating Penn (6-3-2, 1-2-0 Ivy) 2-0, Columbia did not move up the Ivy League standings, as it is tied with Penn, Cornell (3-7-2, 1-2-0 Ivy), and Dartmouth (5-4-1, 1-2-0 Ivy) with a 1-2 record in conference play. Following the game, the Lions huddled excitedly, in contrast to their behavior after the Oct. 2 loss to Brown on their home turf. Players championed each other's best moments and reminded themselves to cherish the feeling of winning and let it fuel them going forward. The victory was closer than the final score might suggest. The Lions did not start off the game as organized as they were during the game against Brown last Saturday. The early minutes were a back-and-forth battle for possession, and Columbia's offensive strategy was to send overhead passes to the left slant and rely on sophomore forward Nata Ramirez's speed to create open spaces and send crosses back to the middle. However, the attacks did not initially work, and Penn seemed to have the upper hand 20 minutes into the game. During the first period, the Lions took only two shots after the 20-minute mark, while the Quakers took seven. During this time, the Light Blue's backline played a crucial role in blocking the Quakers' shots and making their attempts more challenging, allowing easier saves for sophomore goalkeeper Paige Nurkin. Out of Penn's eight shot attempts in the first half, only two were on target due to the Lions' hyperconscious defense. The defenders' strong play continued in the second half, when the Quakers went on the counterattack after conceding goals. Columbia was especially strong at defending set pieces, allowing seven corner kicks but not giving up a single goal from them. This performance was a significant improvement from the last two games, when the Lions' backline was not as physically intense, allowing opponents to score on mediocre opportunities. It was a return to form for Bartholomew's Lions, who have historically excelled at defense: In 2019, the Light Blue limited its opponents to just 0.94 goals per game. Bartholomew told players after the game that the shutout was the most important aspect of the game. Not conceding after the Lions' first goal, Bartholomew said, was key for the offense to regroup and close out the game quickly. "We haven't been up in the Ivy [this season], so I think we were trying to manage some of those moments and we were struggling to get pressure on the ball," Bartholomew said. "Paige obviously back in the net did a good job … and the backline held it together … to keep Penn off the board for us was big." On the offensive end, the stars of the game were Ramirez and first-year midfielder Sophia Cavaliere, Columbia's top two scorers. After missing key chances in the previous two games, Ramirez gained a penalty chance and stood up to the pressure, sending an accurate ball to the left side of the goal. Less than five minutes later, Ramirez placed a perfect freekick into the center of the box around the six-yard line. Then, Cavaliere beat three Penn defenders, Penn's goalkeeper, and even her teammate, junior forward Ally Clark, to the high flying ball and headed it to the bottom left corner. The ball bounced to the left post and deflected into the goal to seal the Lions' victory. The Light Blue's offense was more efficient during this game than during last week's game against Brown, especially in the second half. The team took 15 shots in total, of which nine were on target. This was a strong recovery from last week's poor performance of five shots on target. The Lions were more decisive in the last 30 yards of the pitch, taking more shots when the opportunity was given. This constantly put pressure on the Quaker defense, and especially on Penn's goalie, who had to make seven saves in total. Ramirez said she was more comfortable against Penn's defense today than she had felt in previous games. "There were more gaps," Ramirez said. "Versus Brown—they had huge defenders that were very strong on me, like on my back all the time." The team felt that its goal off the set piece, a play designed for a freekick situation, was much more rewarding than its earlier penalty goal. "Not that I am paying anyone, but I was ready to give hundreds of dollars for anyone who could score, or cheesecake," said Bartholomew. "So, just to be able to score on a set piece—they were so excited because we've been working at it and … when you work at something so much and then you get the reward, it's amazing." The Lions hope that the goals scored were the first of many future goals in this season's Ivy competitions. Currently, the Princeton Tigers are just one win ahead of the Lions in Ivy play, and the Lions hope to carry this week's momentum at Princeton next Saturday. Before the Ivy League matchup, the Lions will host a non-conference game against Adelphi University on Tuesday Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. The Princeton game will be on Saturday Oct.16 at 7 p.m. Both games will be aired on ESPN+. 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.