BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH MARYBETH FREEMAN
POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN SKUDALSKI
POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH KIMBERLY PIANUCCI
NEW YORK – And then there were three. The Columbia field hockey team scored three first half goals and went on for a 3-1 victory on Senior Day. The Lions (11-4, 4-1) have now won five in a row and remain tied with Cornell and Princeton for first place in the Ivy League standings.
After holding off some early pressure from the Big Green, the Columbia offense took over. Zoe Blake netted her 12th of the season with a blast from the point off a penalty corner in the seventh minute of play.
Whitney Hartstone tacked on an insurance goal in the 16th minute, knocking one home from short range on the right side of the goal after a nice feed from Blake.
In the 26th minute, Christina Freibott was on the receiving end of a breakout pass from Katie Ruesterholz. With the Dartmouth goalkeeper out to challenge the play, the junior's full-extension effort made it 3-0.
The Big Green cut the deficit to 3-1 with a goal in the 48th minute, but the Lions, who received stellar goaltending from Kimberly Pianucci and strong defense throughout, held off Dartmouth to come away victorious.
Shots finished 24-20 in favor of Columbia and the Lions recorded 14 penalty corners. Pianucci improved to 10-4 on the year after making nine saves on the day.
Columbia also improved to 8-1 at home, tying a program record for most home wins in a season. The 11 overall victories are the most since 2008 when they equaled that total.
The Lions will face off against Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, next Saturday, November 1 for a 1 p.m. contest.
