The women’s soccer team saw Ivy League play for the second time this season Saturday as it faced off at home against Columbia in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Bears (4-4-2, 0-0-2 Ivy) came out strong, as Erin Katz ’16 capitalized on a cross from Annie Gillen ’15 at the 18th minute, putting Bruno up 1-0. At the end of the first half, the squad led
in shots over Columbia (5-1-4, 1-0-1) by a total of 5-2.
Going into the second half, the Bears quickly lost the lead, as Columbia’s Coleen Rizzo launched a header that found the back of the net at the 52nd minute. The game continued in a tug of war for the lead, until Columbia’s Grace Taylor lifted the Lions to a 2-1 advantage with just 14 minutes left in the game.
Similar to last week’s away game at Dartmouth, the Bears sought to equalize the score with less than 10 minutes of play left.
“This game felt a bit less chaotic at the beginning, especially since we came out of the first half up a goal,” said Kirsten Belinsky ’15 when comparing last week’s matchup against Dartmouth. “The ending, though, felt very similar in intensity to the Dartmouth game since we needed a late goal to equalize. We had some close chances against Columbia in OT just like we had against Dartmouth.”
Fortunately, the equalizer came with help of captain Chloe Cross ’15, as the senior shot a screamer from right outside the box at the 83rd minute.
“Chloe’s goal obviously helped because it kept us in the game,” Belinsky said. “But, we also knew the game was back at 0-0 and that with such a short amount of time left, it was crucial to come out strong.”
The Lions led the shot total in overtime 3-2, but the best opportunity went to the Bears with a shot from Gillen that nearly crossed the goal line, until Columbia keeper Grace Redmon nestled it and saved the possible goal.
“Chloe’s goal came at a crucial time, as we needed to equalize to stay in the game,” Bilensky said. “It really helped bring up our energy level to regain our momentum that we had in the first half.”
Despite the late-game surge in momentum, Bruno was unable to find the back of the net in double overtime, and the game finished in a 2-2 draw.
The Bears continue play this Tuesday in a 7 p.m. game at Stevenson Field against Quinnipiac (1-8-1).
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