NEW YORK — In the 87th minute,
Shira Cohen netted a game-winner to give Columbia women's soccer (7-3-3, 3-1-1 IVY) a big 1-0 win over Dartmouth (8-5-2, 1-3-1 IVY) putting an exclamation point on senior day at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.
Cohen's goal, her fourth of the season, was off a corner kick and was one of four Columbia shots on goal in a match that went back and forth all game long. The three points keep Columbia on pace with Brown for a possible finish at the league's top, with games reaming against Yale (eight points) and Harvard (11 points).
Dartmouth asked most of the questions in the first half, recording 10 shots to Columbia's two, with two of those being on goal. Both of those Dartmouth shots on goal were handled by Columbia's starting keeper,
Paige Nurkin, who recorded a pair of saves in the first half while controlling her backline with confidence.
Columbia came out in the second half and turned up the energy, flipping the possession and controlling the action throughout the half. The Lions put 11 shots towards the goal in the half, putting three on goal as the late winner was earned by Columbia's hard work over the final 45 minutes.
The Lions got a real chance at scoring in the 68th minute when
Sophia Cavaliere got a ball on the right side and smashed one off the right woodwork as Columbia pushed the envelope heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.
Ania Prussak put one on net in the 82nd minute, and it set the tone for Columbia's upcoming game-winner.
Columbia earned a corner kick in the 86th minute and set up in the box for a possible chance. The ball was sent in and after bouncing around a few Columbia and Dartmouth defenders fell to the feet of Cohen, who calmly took control and made a quick turn on goal. With a Dartmouth defender barreling down, Cohen quickly shot the ball over the Dartmouth keeper to put the Lions on the board.
Over the final 10 minutes, Columbia survived a pair of Dartmouth corners to hold on to the 1-0 senior day win and stay in the hunt for an Ivy League title.
UP NEXT: Columbia hits the road for its final two games of the season, heading to Yale on Oct. 29 before wrapping up the 2022 regular season at Harvard on Nov. 5.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia women's soccer by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsWSOC), Instagram (@culionswsoc) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
