CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard women’s lacrosse team outscored Columbia, 8-3, in the second half to emerge with a 13-9 victory in the Ivy League opener for both teams Saturday afternoon.
Marisa Romeo led the Crimson (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) with four goals and two assists for six points, while Audrey Todd had three goals and a helper for four points, while also adding three draw controls. In net, Kelly Weis recorded eight saves, while Emma Ford collected three ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Jessie Ambrose and Caroline Joy both scored two goals for Columbia (0-4, 0-1), while goalie Kelsey Gedin finished with 13 saves.
With the Lions leading, 22-1, after the first 10 minutes, Todd scored her first goal at 19:53, beginning a 4-0 run for Harvard. Todd added another goal with 17:52 on the clock, followed by a tally by Maeve McMahon at 17:19, giving the Crimson a 4-2 lead.
After Eliza Guild made it 5-2 in favor of Harvard at the 16:28 mark, the Lions controlled the remainder of the half, outscoring the Crimson, 4-0, the rest of the stanza to go up 6-5.
In the second half, Columbia upped its lead to 7-5 with a tally by Sara Ruzzi at 22:00. Harvard, which was held scoreless for 27:03 of action, finally got back on the scoreboard with 18:55 to play in the game, as Todd found the back of the net with an unassisted goal.
Less than a minute later, Romeo tied the game, 7-7, at 18:17, and then gave the Crimson an 8-7 advantage at 17:37. Harvard began to pull away, as Megan Hennessey netted a score at 16:59, followed by a tally off the stick of Guild at 12:32, as the Crimson led, 10-7.
Inside the final three minutes, Romeo tacked on two more goals, putting the Crimson up, 12-8, with 1:16 remaining.
The Crimson finished with an edge in ground balls, 13-9, draw controls, 13-11 and shots, 35-22. Harvard was also 14-of-15 on clear attempts, while the Lions cleared the ball 12-of-15 times.
Harvard will travel to Florida to face No. 5 Syracuse on the campus of Stetson, Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m.. The Crimson will also face the Hatters Monday, March 16 at 6 p.m.
