Women's Soccer Rides Nata Ramirez's Brace For A 3-1 Win Over Yale

Upper West Side NY

03 November, 2021

12:51 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY OWEN TESORO NOVEMBER 2, 2021 Following a 3-2 win over Dartmouth, Columbia women's soccer continued its Ivy League campaign and jumped to fourth place after a dominant 3-1 win over Yale on Saturday. The Lions (9-5-1, 3-3 Ivy) opened the scoring in the 13th minute and did not look back, putting two more past Yale's (2-13, 1-5 Ivy) defense. The Lions maintained high offensive pressure on the Yale back line, contributing to their control of possession during the game. Although Columbia was outshot by Yale 14-13 (9-8 shots on goal), sophomore Paige Nurkin's stalwart goalkeeping maintained the Lions' lead. Sophomore forward Shira Cohen opened the scoring in the 13th minute, netting her first goal of the year. First-year defender Ania Prussak sent Cohen a ball over the Yale defense, which Cohen settled and calmly placed into the lower left corner of the goal to beat the diving attempt of the Elis' goalkeeper. Cohen, who led the team in scoring in 2019 before her injury, rejoiced at returning to scoring. "It feels really good," said Cohen. "It was definitely hard coming back late in the season, but it feels really good. I love being out here with the team, and it's nice to feel like I can contribute again." In the 68th minute, Nata Ramirez capitalized on a short goal kick deflected over Yale's back line. Using her speed to outpace the defenders, Ramirez beat Yale's keeper with a tap in to the right corner to make it 2-0. Ramirez was not done yet, however. In the 82nd minute, she danced around multiple defenders at the edge of the 18-yard box before firing off a shot into the left side of the net, putting the Lions far out of reach with a 3-0 lead. Ramirez's second goal of the day and ninth goal of the season made her the second-place leading scorer in the Ivy League. Columbia's high press attack would prove to be too much for Yale, leaving the Bulldogs unable to work out of high-pressure situations to mount an effective attack. "We had a plan to come out with some pressure and try to win the ball in some higher up spots," said coach Bartholomew. "It rattles you playing out of the back." However, Yale would not go down easily: In the second half, junior Ellery Winkler cut through the Columbia defense and pushed one past Nurkin's diving attempt with a shot from the left of the box, putting Yale closer at 3-1 but far out of reach of the Lions. Although Nurkin's clean sheet was spoiled, her performance still proved invaluable to the Lions; she faced nine shots on goal, saving all but one. Her incredible performance over the course of the season makes her one of the best goalkeepers in the Ivy League. Nurkin's .859 save percentage and .858 goals against average ranks first among Ivy League keepers. "You need a great goalkeeper in this conference to stay alive," said Columbia head coach Tracey Bartholomew. The Lions prepare for next week's home matchup against Harvard (11-2-1, 4-2 Ivy), with the possibility of moving to third place in the Ivy League table with a win. Ramirez expressed confidence in the Lions going into next week's matchup at home. "We feel pretty confident; Harvard is a tough team but you never know what's going to happen in the Ivy League." The Lions face Harvard in their senior day matchup at the Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Staff writer Owen Tesoro can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TesoroOwen 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.