NEW YORK, N.Y. - Senior Jana Whiting (CC-Halifax, Mass.) scored her fourth goal in the last four matches and Columbia held off a late rally by American to take a 3-2 victory, the third straight for the Lions.
Whiting got Columbia (4-2-1) on the board first in the 13th minute when junior Cassie Hamar (CC-Beverly Hills, Calif.) placed a ball down the right sideline and Whiting took a few dribbles and powered one past the Eagles' keeper at the 12:05 mark.
Columbia made it 2-0 on a fantastic goal in the 40th minute. After a free kick by junior Emma Judkins (CC-Houston, Texas), Hamar lofted a beautiful ball over a swarm of Eagle defenders. The ball found senior Courtney Nasshorn (CC-Newtown, Pa.), who got her foot on it just before the American keeper could grab it, and redirected the ball into the net from about 10 yards away. Both Judkins and Hamar were credited with assists on the play.
Taking a 2-0 lead into the second half, Columbia padded its lead in the 63rd minute on another series of tremendous passing and finishing. First-year Allison Leonard (CC-Seattle, Wash.) played a ball in the midfield to fellow first-year Yasha MacDonald (CC-Whitman, Mass.), who zipped by a defender and beat the keeper to her left, depositing a hard shot into the lower right corner.
Down 3-0 late in the match, American (2-5) had its chances down the stretch. The Eagles appeared to have gotten on the board in the 68th minute, but Hamar, who contributed on offense and defense, came up with a defensive save on a ball headed for the left post after an Eagle corner kick.
American finally broke through in the 82nd minute with the first of their two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match. Christina Gonzalez struck at the 81:38 mark, lofting a lefty shot into the upper right corner to cut the Columbia lead to 3-1. Six minutes later, Lauren Esposito gathered a ball in front after a corner kick to make it 3-2 with just under three minutes to play.
The Lions kept their composure however, and held on late in the match, keeping the ball in the American zone and fending off the Eagle attack when the ball entered Columbia's half.
Sophomore keeper Allison Vespa (CC-Franklin Lakes, N.J.) made eight saves and registered her fourth win of the season. Alison Doyle and Kelsey Wiggins had three saves apiece for American.
Winners of three in a row, Columbia returns to action in the Ivy League opener on Friday, September 23. The Lions will travel to Ithaca, N.Y. to take on Cornell in a 7 p.m. start.
