CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — For the sixth year in a row, the Columbia men's tennis team has earned at least a share of the Ivy League title after defeating No. 38 Harvard, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Beren Tennis Center to remain the last unbeaten team in the conference. The Lions will have a chance to win the crown outright next Saturday, hosting Cornell in the regular season finale.
 
The 16th-ranked Lions rise to 16-3 overall with a 6-0 mark in Ivy League matches, while No. 38 Harvard drops its first conference match of the season and falls to 18-6, 5-1 Ivy.
 
"It has been an unbelievable 37 years," said Columbia head coach Bid Goswami, who announced earlier this season his plans to retire at the end of the 2019 campaign. "I've always felt very privileged and honored to be representing Columbia and this is a very special group. Even with the injuries we've faced this season, we didn't fold, and that's the good part."
 
Harvard drew first blood, garnering the doubles point with a pair of wins on courts two and three. After the Crimson claimed court three, the Lions won the top court as No. 33 Jack Lin/William Matheson earned a 6-2 victory. It came down to Rian Pandole/Victor Pham who ultimately fell 7-5 despite previously owning a 5-4 lead.
 
Although the weather forced three stoppages for rain, the match was played outdoors in its entirety.  
 
"I felt like the momentum was changing after doubles, but we righted the ship fast," said Goswami. "We won the first sets on four of the six singles courts and then fought back to win second sets on the other two. I thought it was a pretty well-rounded team effort after Victor showed the way winning in under an hour."
 
The score was quickly evened at one after 32nd-ranked Pham won 6-1, 6-1 on the top singles court to stay undefeated in Ivy play. Fellow senior Timothy Wang followed suit, winning in straight sets at five to also hold an unblemished 6-0 mark in conference outings. Sophomore Austen Huang brought the Lions within one point of the team win, winning 6-2, 7-5 on court six. For the second-straight match, No. 104 Pandole clinched the victory, powering through a three-set triumph over Harvard's Harris Walker.
 
"Victor, Tim and Will are three unbelievable leaders," said Goswami. "After Jackie (Tang) got hurt, we were talking about it and it was a big loss for us. We knew our doubles would be a little weaker, but those three did an unbelievable job of keeping all our guys motivated and assuring them we are good enough still. So, I owe it all to the leadership of our captains."
 
The Lions return home next Saturday, April 27, for the regular season and home finale, taking on Cornell at 1 p.m. ET inside the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
 
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.