NEW YORK – With everything on the line, Columbia women's soccer rose to the moment in its regular-season finale, defeating Harvard 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium to clinch a berth in the Ivy League Tournament.
The victory secured the Lions' third consecutive postseason appearance and cemented the No. 3 seed heading into next week's Ivy Tournament.
"It's a wonderful testament to this program and the work that everyone and the staff has put in," Head Coach Tracey Bartholomey said. "I'm so proud of everyone and especially the seniors, Harvard is a great team and for us to beat them, I'm just so happy."
First-year forward Evelyn Javers was sensational, turning in a breakout performance when it mattered most. The rookie forward scored both Columbia goals, one in each half, and was a constant threat in the attacking third. Javers opened the scoring in the 18th minute when she finished a through ball from Maia Tabion to give the Lions early momentum. She struck again in the 53rd minute, finishing off a pass from Annie Faraone to double the lead and ignite the home crowd on senior day.
"You could see right from the start we had to grind this whole entire game," Javers said. "I'm so proud of each and every one of my teammates that stepped on the field, even the subs coming on and bringing the energy. The atmosphere was electric today and we worked hard the entire 90 minutes to get the win."
Harvard got one back and cut the deficit to one goal in the 89th minute with a goal from Erin Gordon, but Columbia's back line held strong from start to finish. Senior Justina Bitzer and juniors Leila Hawkins and Aoife Turner anchored a disciplined defensive unit that limited Harvard to just six shots on goal despite 12 total attempts. Goalkeeper Samantha Mahoney made five saves, including several key stops in the second half, to preserve the lead and seal the crucial victory.
Hear the full interviews from both Javers and Bartholomew following the game on the ESPN+ broadcast, HERE.
With the result, Columbia finished the regular season at 6-6-3 overall and 4-2-1 in Ivy League play. The Lions will face No. 2 Dartmouth in the Ivy Semifinals on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Princeton's Myslik Field. The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 1 Princeton and No. 4 Brown in the Ivy Championship on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets to the Ivy League Tournament at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium are set to go on sale at 12 p.m. on Monday. More information on the tournament will be available in the coming days.
Senior Day
Prior to the game, the Lions held a senior day ceremony for their four seniors: Maia Tabion, Charlyse Berry, Justina Bitzer, and Sophia Stellabotte.
For more on all of this incredible senior class' accomplishments, visit our game preview HERE.
For the latest on the Columbia women's soccer program, follow @CULionsWSOC on X, Instagram, Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
