NEW YORK – Seniors Kat Jordan and Shira Cohen found the net in the final 12 minutes of Sunday's game against Rutgers to help Columbia come from behind and take a 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 1,213 fans at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium. The Lions secured their first NCAA Tournament win in program history to keep the season alive.
 
Columbia followed the script of the upset win over Brown to secure their second comeback win in three games. The win improves Columbia's overall record to 11-4-3 this season. Columbia's 11 wins are the most in a season since 2008 and are the most during head coach Tracey Bartholomew's tenure at Columbia.
 
"There's just no quit in this team," Bartholomew said. "It is truly a special group led by some unbelievable players. It's emotional right now to really process this moment for the program. To see these girls rise to the top, they deserve it."
 
Rutgers outshot Columbia, 8-3, in the first half. The Scarlet Knights put four on goal, compared to Columbia's one. Senior goalkeeper Paige Nurkin prevented the Rutgers attack with four saves in the first half.
 
Senior forward Nata Ramirez had the best look at the goal in the first half for the Lions. She fired the ball to the bottom center of the goal but Rutgers keeper Olivia Bodmer was able to make the save.
 
The second half got started with the teams trading possession for about the first 20 minutes. Rutgers broke the tie and scored in the 65^th minute to take the lead. Ashley Baran found the top-left part of the goal on an assist by Allison Lynch.
 
Senior midfielder Kat Jordan scored the equalizer in the 79^th minute as Ania Prussak found Jordan on a free kick. Jordan sent the header into the net for her ninth goal of the season. With nine goals for the season, Jordan joins the record list for goals scored in a single season. She is now tied at eighth-most in a single season in program history.
 
"I just have a lot of faith in every single person on the field and on the sidelines," Jordan said. "We bring great energy, and when Ania had that free kick, I just had full faith in her to put in a good ball. Honestly, she did all the work. I just tapped it in. It was really exciting."
 
With the clock winding down, Cohen was able to find a ball that deflected off the hands of the Rutgers goalkeeper. Cohen had time to get set and fire the ball through to send the Lions to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I think all season we thought to ourselves no matter what part of the game we are in, there's always hope. There is always a chance. We did it against Brown when we were down 1-0. We knew 12 minutes left that it doesn't matter. There can be two minutes and we can still win this game. I think having that mentality and knowing that no matter what the score is or what time in the game it is, we can win."
 
Nurkin played all 90 minutes in the net and registered all four of her saves in the first half. Jordan led the team with two shots on goal and four total shots to help lead the Lions to the win.
 
Columbia will now travel to South Carolina to face the bracket's No. 1 seed Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, November 17. Game time will be announced soon.
 
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