Women's Soccer Suffers Heartbreaking Loss In Double Overtime Against Princeton

Upper West Side NY

20 October, 2021

1:26 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG OCTOBER 17, 2021 After finally scoring its first Ivy League goal in last week's 2-0 victory against Penn (7-3-2, 2-2 Ivy), Columbia women's soccer (7-5-1, 1-3-0 Ivy) split its games against Adelphi and Princeton, routing Adelphi 6-0 but falling to the Tigers in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss. Just as head coach Tracey Bartholomew had hoped, the Lions' scoring ways against the Quakers carried over to their next game against Adelphi, a Division II program. Going into Saturday's matchup in Princeton, the Light Blue, already with two conference losses, needed a win to stay in the race for the Ivy League title. However, as if the gloomy weather had forecasted the Lions' dispiriting finish, the team conceded the game-clinching golden goal 20 seconds into second overtime against the Tigers. Columbia's chances of winning the Ivy League title are now close to zero as Brown (9-3, 4-0 Ivy) and Princeton (10-2-1, 3-1 Ivy) have a strong hold at the top of the table. While Princeton's turf minimized the effects of the rain, both teams had to adjust to the less than optimal conditions. The Tigers started off with an organized but slow passing game in their half of the field. To speed Princeton up, the Lions pressured the Tigers' defenders and midfielders, often forcing passes back to the goalkeeper or intercepting Princeton's forward passes. The Light Blue enjoyed some scoring chances in the early stages of the game, including an approximately 30-yard attempt by first-year midfielder Sophia Cavaliere that flew at the top right corner. Though the Tigers came up with some counterstrikes of their own, their attacks were cut short by unsuccessful crosses. After several fruitless attacks, the Tigers finally attempted their first shot in the 23rd minute. From that point on, Princeton outshot Columbia 17-130. Not only were the shots frequent, but they were efficient too, with the Light Blue recording 10 attempts on target and Princeton, 12. With so many shots fired their way, both goalkeepers saw no shortage of action. Princeton's Grace Barbara was a brick wall for the Tigers, barely reaching an almost-certain goal from Cavaliere in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Paige Nurkin was also fantastic for the Lions as her concentration nullified many dangerous Princeton crosses. Nurkin made 11 saves, a college career-high and the second most saves in the Ancient Eight this season. The North Carolina native's 0.814 goals against average and 0.855 save percentage both lead the Ancient Eight. However, even Nurkin could not stop the game-winning 25-yard attempt by Princeton forward Alexis Hiltunen. Less than 20 seconds into the second overtime, Hiltunen received an aerial pass and shot the ball just past Nurkin's outstretched hands on the left side of the goal before first-year defender Marcia Ojo could catch her. The goal marked the second time in the past three conference games that Nurkin conceded a shot from outside the box. Despite the high volume of shots that were taken, the key is to send the shots into the goal. The Lions' inexperience may have gotten the best of them when it came to capitalizing on these scoring chances. In the 83rd minute, first-year forward Claire Pinnie charged at Barbara, who fumbled the ball when trying to take it away from her. Ramirez lost her composure and hit the ball over the crossbar. It was also the young team's first Ivy League overtime game, and Princeton had a better handle of the extended game. The Tigers controlled the possession game and outshot Columbia 4-1 in the first overtime period. When first-year defender Sam Cohn made a mistake on her first touch of the ball in the second overtime, the Tigers seized the opportunity to score immediately. While the Light Blue's title dreams are all but dead, the team still has the potential to move up in the standings. Columbia is in a deadlock with three other teams for the worst record in the Ivy League. With games against two of those teams—Yale (2-11, 1-3 Ivy) and Dartmouth (5-5-1, 1-3 Ivy)—remaining, the Lions may be able to achieve a top-four finish. The Light Blue will travel to Hanover on Saturday to face off against the Big Green. The game will be at 3 p.m. and will be broadcasted live 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.