Columbia
Harvard*
IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Women's Soccer Defeats Harvard for First Ivy Title
11/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BOSTON -- Columbia's incredible Ivy League run culminated in a 1-0 victory at Harvard after more than 80 minutes of scoreless soccer.
Aubrey Medal knocked home the game-winner off a corner taken by Shannon Munoz. After the ball was knocked around in the box, Medal slotted it home, setting off pandemonium on the Lion sidelines and in the loud Columbia cheering section.
The two teams played a hard-fought first half with a few chances for Harvard, including a shot hit from a sharp angle that nailed the crossbar after Lion keeper Allison Vespa deflcted it upwards.
Columbia came out strong in the second half, however, putting pressure on the Crimson, ultimately finishing on Medal's goal on assists from Munoz and fellow co-captain Meghan Hurlbut.
The final minutes saw the Lions control possession in the Harvard end, but the Crimson did have two corner chances with less than a minute to go. Columbia cleared the first attempt but Harvard did fire off a pair of shots on the second attempt with the clock under 10 seconds.
When the clock hit zero, the Lion bench stormed the field, setting off a wild celebration near the 30-yard line in the Columbia end.
Lion keeper Allison Vespa made three saves for her seventh shutout of the season and the tenth overall shutout for Columbia, tying a school record set in 1998.
The victory came six years to the day after Columbia's last victory over Harvard -- a 2-1 overtime win in Boston on Nov. 4, 2000.
The win is Columbia's seventh straight victory as the Lions will enter the 2006 NCAA Tournament with a 10-4-3 record after going unbeaten through the Ivy League at 6-0-1.
Columbia will learn its opponent during the NCAA Women's College Cup selection show on Monday, Nov. 6. The show will air on ESPNEWS between 3-4 p.m.
