Columbia Continues Ivy League Home Slate Saturday Against Harvard

Saturday, September 30

New York, N.Y.

5:00 PM

Columbia University

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.

Columbia Continues Ivy League Home Slate Saturday Against Harvard

9/29/2023 5:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Columbia soccer is teaming up for a Breast Cancer Awareness doubleheader

By: Garret Sulak

NEW YORK – The Columbia women's soccer team (7-1-1, 1-0-0 Ivy) returns to Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium on Saturday to continue its Ivy League home slate in a tilt with Harvard (5-3-1, 0-1-0 Ivy). Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DOUBLEHEADER
Saturday's game will serve as Breast Cancer Awareness Day for the Lions. Columbia's men's and women's soccer programs are teaming up to raise awareness together with the men's game at 1 p.m., followed by the women's game against Harvard at 5 p.m.

As part of raising awareness, the first 150 fans in attendance at both the men's and women's games will receive a free pink bracelet. The first 75 students at each game will receive a free Columbia fanny pack. Additionally, there will be a post-game autograph session for fans to interact with the team.

Fans who wish to team up with Columbia men's and women's soccer to donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation can do so by clicking here.

THE MATCHUP
Columbia enters its second Ivy League contest of the season with a 7-1-1 overall mark and a 1-0-0 record in league action after defeating Penn last Saturday at home, 1-0 on a late Ania Prussak corner kick that bounced off the Penn goalkeeper's arm and into the goal.

Senior midfielder Kat Jordan leads the team with four goals this season. Sophomore Maia Tabion and Prussak have each tallied three goals. Tabion, senior forward Nata Ramirez and senior forward Madi Pilla have each registered three assists to help the Lions' scoring effort.

Senior goalkeeper Paige Nurkin has played 630 minutes in eight games, allowing just one goal. Nurkin has tallied 31 saves for an impressive .969 save percentage.

First-year forward Ólöf Kristinsdóttir has been a major force for Harvard this season as she leads the team with five goals. She has also registered two assists so far. Gabby DelPico and Josefine Hasbo have also been major contributors to the Crimson offense with four goals each this season. Anna Karpenko has been a mainstay in the net with over 700 minutes through eight games. Karpenko has allowed nine goals and recorded 13 saves.

RECORD WATCH
Entering Saturday's game, the Lions have tied the program record for consecutive shutouts (six) with a shutout of the Quakers. A shutout against Harvard would set the new program record. For the season as a whole, the program record is 10 total shutouts, which is also within reach for the Lions as they sit at eight currently.

Through nine games, Columbia has allowed just one goal. The record for fewest goals allowed in a season is 12, which was set in 1998.

Nurkin has registered five shutouts for the season and is over halfway to the single season record of eight set by Ali Ahern in 1998.

Riding a five-game win streak, Columbia is two wins away from tying longest win streak in program history. The 1998 squad posted seven wins in a row.

LEADING THE NATION
Columbia continues to lead the nation in goals against average as the Lions have allowed just one goal through nine games for a .111 team average. The Lions also lead the nation in save percentage at .971 and shutout percentage at .889.

Individually, Nurkin now leads the nation in goals against average with a .143 average. She also leads the nation in save percentage at .969.

The Lions are 28th in the nation in assists per game, averaging 2.33 per game. Columbia is 26th in points per game with an average of 7.44 and 28th in scoring offense with an average of 2.56 goals per game. With a 7-1-1 record, the Lions are tied for 13th in the nation in won-lost-tied percentage.

NATIONALLY RANKED
Columbia earned recognition in a national poll for the first time since 2008 as the Lions were ranked No. 22 in the most recent Top Drawer Soccer national poll. The team received votes in the NSCAA national poll in 2008, now known as the United Soccer Coaches rankings. Columbia also received votes several times during the 2006 season as the team captured its first Ivy League title.

Columbia moved back one spot in this week's United Soccer Coaches East Region rankings to the No. 7 spot. The Lions are third among Ivy League teams in the rankings behind Princeton and Brown.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia women's soccer program, follow @CULionsWSOC on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.