Lions aim to reach .500 record versus Crimson in final match of year

The women’s lacrosse team will be playing its final game of the season on Saturday against Harvard at home. The Lions are currently 6-7 and 0-6 in the Ivy League, and are hoping that by defeating the Crimson, they will end the year with a .500 record and a win in the Ancient Eight. Most recently, the Lions triumphed over Wagner 17-9 on Wednesday, while Harvard was defeated by Dartmouth 11-9 on the same day. Harvard also has a record of 6-7 for the season but is 2-4 in the conference, having defeated Cornell and Princeton earlier in the season.

When these teams met last season, Columbia topped Harvard by only one goal, 11-10, picking up the first Light Blue win in four years against the Crimson, which also marked the Lions’ first Ivy League win since 2005. The entire game was close, and Columbia’s defense made all the difference in pulling out the win.

With one goal each by senior Brittany Shannon and then-senior Rachael Ryan, and two by then-senior Holly Glynn, Columbia was able to stay in line with Harvard 4-4 at halftime, even though the Crimson had outshot the Lions 16-9.

Columbia took the lead in the second half with a goal by Shannon and, after a two-goal setback, struck back with a four-goal run to stay ahead. However, Harvard eventually came back and tied the score at 10-10 with only 1:10 left to play. By winning the following draw control, junior Gabrielle Geronimos was able to take advantage of an offensive run, netting the game-winning goal with less than 40 seconds to spare.

At this year’s ending game, Columbia will honor its seniors, Frances Callaghan, Megan Donovan, and Brittany Shannon, as they play the final game of their collegiate careers. The contest against Harvard will begin at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Robert K. Kraft Field.