NEW YORK -- Shira Cohen and
Nata Ramirez combined for a trio of goals as Columbia (9-5-1, 3-3-0) earned a 3-1 victory over Yale (2-13-0, 1-5-0) at Rocco B. Commisso Stadium.
Despite battling injury for most of the season, Cohen collected a long ball from teammate
Ania Prussak just 13 minutes into the first half before charging Yale's net from the midfield. After besting a waiting Bulldog, Cohen snuck a shot into the bottom right corner of the net, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead.
"I thought this was a great team effort. We had certain tactics in mind coming into the game. We were really organized and high pressing Yale to give ourselves opportunities," said head coach
Tracey Bartholomew. "These Ivy League games are tough regardless of who you play; Yale is a great team that made opportunities of their own."
The score would hold until well into the second half when Ramirez found the back of the net off a pass from
Ally Clark in the 69th minute. With the insurance goal on the board Columbia continued to press Yale, playing speeding balls into the Bulldog's defensive end.
The Lions' pressure paid off in the 82nd minute as Ramirez netted her team-leading ninth goal of the season despite a flock of Yale defenders putting pressure the sophomore standout.
"We were excited to see Shira get on the board. Then we had such fun moments to watch when Nata took over," reflected Bartholomew. "Off the bench, Blake (Turner) had some great moments and really kept the pressure on."
The Lions' shutout was spoiled in the 87th minute when junior Ellery Winkler put Yale on the board, 3-1.
Despite Yale holding an edge in both shots (14-13) and shots on goal (18-9), sophomore goalkeeper
Paige Nurkin's prowess between the pipes held the Bulldogs at bay. On the afternoon, Nurkin collected eight saves while Yale's Maya Bellamo turned away five shots.
The contest concluded the team's Columbia Kicks Cancer campaign dedicated to raising funds and awareness for those affected by breast cancer. To donate, please visit:
GoColumbiaLions.com/beatcancer.
Columbia will return to action Nov. 6 to face Harvard in Saturday's season finale on Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 P.M..
