QUEENS, N.Y. — After a 657-day wait from its last collegiate competition, the Columbia women's soccer team came out firing. The Lions scored three goals, including one less than six minutes in, and battled an undefeated St. John's team strong for 110 minutes to walk away with a 3-3 draw in their season opener Friday night at Belson Stadium.
Junior
Ally Clark, sophomore
Nata Ramirez and sophomore
Madi Pilla did the scoring for Columbia (0-0-1). Clark and Ramirez assisted each other's goals, while Pilla scored from the penalty spot in the 70th minute to put the Lions on top, 3-2.
"St. John's hadn't given up any goals coming into this game, so for us to manufacture the goals and opportunities that we did … we were really proud of them," Columbia head coach Tracey Barthoomew said. "The energy and excitement of playing was unbelievable. You're on the sideline and your heart is going through your mouth and you think, 'Oh my god I forgot what this is like.'"
Every time Columbia took the lead, St. John's (2-0-1) found the response. Fifth-year senior Zsani Kajan put away two goals for the Red Storm. Her first was a penalty in the 11th minute to answer Clark's score. In the second half, she rocketed a left-footed shot into the top corner from outside the box to answer Ramirez's goal less than three minutes after Columbia had taken the lead.
With the score level, 2-2, Columbia was awarded a throw deep in the St. John's half. The Lions sent the ball through the penalty area to the far post for
Ania Prussak, who was taken down from behind by a St. John's defender while trying to score. The referee quickly signaled for a penalty and Pilla stepped up to take it. The sophomore, playing in her first collegiate game, went left with her left foot to beat a diving Naya Lipkens and give Columbia its third lead of the match.
The Lions did all they could to hang on, which included defending away three consecutive dangerous chances through the 79th and 80th minutes. Sophomore keeper
Paige Nurkin played a big part in denying the Red Storm and wound up with five saves on 22 shots faced in her collegiate debut.
"Paige made some great saves throughout the game," Bartholomew added. "You forget what it's like at St. John's with the fans right behind the goal. We haven't had these experiences in so long. We had so much youth in our starting lineup and we were so impressed with the minutes they all gave us."
St. John's finally broke though for the equalizer in the 84th minute. Frederique St.-Jean sent a ball through the air to the center of penalty area that found the head of Nicole Gordon, who slipped it inside the left post to nod things up, 3-3.
The Johnnies nearly stole the win at the end of regulation, but
Paige Nurkin saved a bicycle attempt from right in front as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Neither side threatened the goal too much through the two 10-minute overtime periods. Columbia's best look came in the second OT, when Pilla sent a left-footed strike from outside the area to the bottom-right corner. Lipkens grabbed it without too much trouble, collecting her fifth and final save of the night.
Columbia's opening goal was created when Pilla collected the ball in the Columbia half and sent it up the far side of the field for a sprinting Ramirez. The sophomore from Elizabeth caught up to it just outside the penalty area and poked it across the top of the box for Clark, who collected it at the top of the 18, settled and blasted a right-footed rocket past Lipkens and into the back of the net for the first goal of the season.
"I think they were stunned when we scored on them," Bartholomew said. "Credit to them though, they answered back. However, the fight we showed scoring another goal and another goal was so impressive. To be able to manufacture goals, it's really exciting to see."
The match went into halftime, 1-1, but the Lions opened the second-half scoring with help once again from Clark and Ramirez. This time, it was Clark who found Ramirez on a through ball from midfield and up the far side. Ramirez used her speed to beat three St. John's defenders and fire a shot back across the face of goal, past a diving Lipkens to make it 2-1 Columbia in the 57th minute.
Kajan drew the Red Storm level once again less than three minutes later, setting up the match's exciting finish.
Columbia has a quick turnaround, traveling out to Long Island on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match against Stony Brook (0-1-1). That contest can be seen live on ESPN+.
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