Last Saturday night in New York City, women’s soccer (7-2-2, 1-1 Ivy) lost 2-1 to Ivy foe Columbia (4-4-2, 2-0) after conceding a heartbreaking game-winner in the final five minutes of regulation play.
With five Ivy League matchups left in the regular season, the Bears are tied with Cornell and Harvard for third place in Ivy standings, all with a 1-1 conference record.
The Bears, who were Ivy League Champions four seasons in a row from 2019 to 2023, have been keen to return to Ivy glory after falling in the Ivy League Championship last year. So far this season, the team has been on fire, posting a 7-2-1 record heading into Saturday night with notable out-of-conference wins against Providence College, Northeastern and the University of Rhode Island.
Following a dominant 5-2 victory against Yale in last week’s Ivy opener, Bruno entered the Columbia matchup intent on keeping the ball rolling. But Columbia looked to avenge their loss against Bruno in last year’s Ivy League Semifinal.
From the opening whistle, both teams played with the intensity characteristic of an Ivy League powerhouse matchup. But for much of the first half, it was the defenders — anchored on both sides by strong backlines and experienced goalkeepers — who headlined the show.
In the early stretches of the game, Brown held the upper hand, applying pressure via a number of free kicks and beautifully schemed passing patterns. Even though the Bears dominated time of possession, the Lions thwarted Bruno’s attempts on goal, holding Brown to only two shots in the first half.
“We didn’t show up in the first half,” Head Coach Kia McNeill told Brown Athletics. “When you only play 45 minutes of a 90-minute game, it’s tough to get a result, especially against good teams.”
Both teams fought relentlessly, and the physicality of the game was palpable: In the first half alone, Brown committed six fouls to Columbia’s four.
Toward the end of the first half, Columbia found their footing, stealing possessions from Brown and launching their first serious attack. In the 40th minute, the Lions finally scored when a sweeping counterattack left Brown’s defense scrambling. Standing wide open on the right side of the box, Columbia captain Maia Tabion fired a ball that brushed off the outstretched hand of Bruno goalkeeper Bella Schopp ’26 into the back of the net.
“We didn’t execute the things we know are our strengths, and that’s on us,” McNeill said. “At this level, you can’t afford to ease into games.”
After taking only two shots apiece in the first half, both teams turned it on in the second. Both came out swinging, with Brown clawing back and Columbia attempting to extend their lead.
Fortunately for the Bears, their efforts were soon rewarded. In the 57th minute, a Columbia foul gave Brown a free kick far out from the box on the left side. Despite the distance to the net, Brooke Birtwhistle ’28 stepped up to deliver a gorgeous ball over Columbia’s helpless defensive line and perfectly onto the head of Kyra Treanor ’28, who smoothly finished the ball in the bottom left to tie the game 1-1.
With a renewed sense of energy, Brown laid down the hammer from there on out. Bruno dominated possession and outshot the Lions 7-3 in the second half, not allowing a single Lions shot on net for the next 15 minutes. But the Lions pushed back, aided by Columbia netminder Samantha Mahoney’s three clutch saves in the second half.
Bruno had a chance to take the lead with just over 12 minutes left when a free kick was awarded at the top of the box. Star Brown midfielder Joy Okonye ’27 laid it off to Birtwhistle, who sent a rocket of a shot that narrowly missed the bottom left corner.
A tie seeming imminent, Columbia took the final lead in the last five minutes. Launching an attack along the left flank, the Lions exploited an opening on the right. They crossed to an open attacker, who then tapped it in to clinch a 2-1 Columbia lead.
The Lions “caught us on two counter-attacks and took care of minimal chances they had in the game,” McNeill said.
Despite having four shots on goal to Columbia’s two, Brown could not respond in the final minutes, and Columbia emerged victorious. With this win under their belt, the Lions now lead the Ivy League.
“It’s been a demanding stretch with a lot of competitive matches,” McNeill said. “We’ll use it to reset, get our legs back and make sure we’re ready to go from the first whistle next time.”
The team looks to bounce back this Saturday at 6 p.m. in a pink-out game against Penn at home.
