Quick-strike lethal for Lions during strong start

At 5-2-0, the Columbia women’s soccer team is off to its best start in recent memory, a start even better than that of 2006, the year of the program’s first and only Ivy League championship. While many things are going right for the Lions on the pitch, one major reason for their success is their ability to score early goals.

Columbia has netted a first-half goal in each of its five wins this season. On one of those occasions, a 3-0 win against Stony Brook, the Lions scored twice before halftime. Senior forward Keri Nobil tallied Columbia’s second goal of that game in the 42nd minute.

The Lions’ objective in every game is to play aggressively from start to finish, and scoring early affirms their purpose. A first-half goal is a tangible sign that Columbia is playing at the level that it desires.

“A big part about how we play is 90 minutes, right through the first whistle,” senior captain Kelly Hostetler said. “We win the first tackle, we win the first ball, and we put it in the back of the net.”
In Columbia’s first game of the season, a 2-1 loss to Central Connecticut State, the Lions did not score until Hostetler converted a penalty kick in the 81st minute. Just two days later, against Hartford, junior forward Ashlin Yahr scored in the 21st. Columbia went on to win the game 3-0.

“Instead of just going out and playing our game and controlling the game…we kind of felt them out first, so they attacked us and they were dominating in the first half,” Hostetler said of the game against Central Connecticut State. “The difference with the Hartford game was that we were like, ‘That’s not okay.’”

“That’s been a big difference, I think, ever since then, is coming out hard in the first half,” Hostetler added. “It’s obviously very important.”

Not only did Columbia tally at least one first-half goal in each of its wins, but it scored in the 10th minute or earlier in three of those victories. Freshman forward Beverly Leon has netted the Lions’ earliest goal this year, a fifth-minute header against Fordham.

Hostetler scored in the 10th against Iona, while senior defender Lauren Cooke scored in the seventh against St. John’s.

“Getting up quickly, that early in the game, is such a blow to the opponent,” Hostetler said. “I mean, I’ve been on the receiving end of that, and it messes with your confidence.”

For Columbia, those early goals have the opposite effect. But too much confidence can be detrimental.

“It’s great to get an early goal, and that’s a trend that we would love to continue—it certainly, I think, at times can help you play a bit more composed—but it’s double-edged, too,” head coach Kevin McCarthy said. “Sometimes, teams suffer from [scoring] early goals because they become complacent, and that’s happened to us, actually, in one or two of the matches.”

Still, the Lions always look to apply offensive pressure. A main reason that Columbia has tallied early goals is that it has earned early restarts.

The Lions have scored off of first-half set pieces in their past four wins. Hostetler, who is tied for the league lead with five assists, has assisted on the Lions’ last four first-half goals. Three of her assists were corner kicks, while her most recent one—on Cooke’s goal—was a free kick.

“We have always prided ourselves on being a team that is good in our attacking restart play,” McCarthy said. “It’s something we do not take for granted, that we are conscious about training for, but it takes really quality players—like Kelly, for example—to help us with our consistency.”

In the Lions’ 2-1 win at St. John’s, early goals in both halves proved to be critical for Columbia. By scoring in the seventh and 46th minutes, the Lions were able to withstand a second-half rally by the Red Storm that included one goal and several more threats.

Though Columbia did not tally its second goal until the second half, the Lions scored so early in the period that their goal felt just as powerful as—if not more powerful than—a second first-half goal would have felt. Junior forward Marissa Schultz gave Columbia its 2-0 advantage after just 14 seconds had elapsed.

“The second goal, St. John’s wasn’t ready,” Hostetler said. “I mean, they had the kickoff, they were kind of relaxed, and we just went out. Two girls double-teamed the ball, won the ball, bam: goal. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do—hit the other team when they’re not ready, and make sure that we’re playing all 90 minutes.”

With Ivy play beginning for Columbia on Friday, early goals will become even more cherished.