As the game entered the 83rd minute last Saturday, things looked bleak for the Lions. Dartmouth was up 1-0 and it seemed like the women’s soccer team was headed for its fifth straight loss. But then, senior Liz Wicks managed to sneak the ball past Big Green goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders, tying the score at one. The Light Blue was back in the game.
As the minutes ticked down, overtime seemed imminent, but Wicks struck again with just 17 seconds left in regulation to give Columbia its first victory since Oct. 1.
The win in last Saturday’s game helped move Columbia into a third place tie with Yale, which it will face next weekend. Both teams have nine points, just behind Penn’s 12 points and first-place Harvard’s 13.
Wicks’ composure in such a high-pressure situation may be the result of her years of experience—she has been playing soccer since the age of six.
A native of Hungerford, UK, Wicks played for England’s Southampton U-14 and U-16 teams early on. At 15, she played for Arsenal Academy’s U-16 team and later went on to make appearances for the Arsenal first team before coming to the United States.
When it came to choosing a college to attend, Wicks’ decision was understandably driven by soccer.
“I decided it was a good idea to come to America, because here you can play soccer at a college, whereas in England you play for a university and there are more time clashes. I’d have to choose between one or the other, which I didn’t want to do,” Wicks said.
“My Arsenal coach knew the soccer coach here. I visited on a recruiting trip, and I committed the next day,” she added.
Lions head coach Kevin McCarthy knew from the very beginning that Wicks would be a good fit and a valuable asset to the team.
“It was an easy decision to recruit her,” McCarthy said. “Liz comes from a background, soccer-wise, that is much different. She has incredible soccer IQ, and she plays with great joy. Combine that with her ability and it makes quite a unique player. We’re very grateful to have her.”
Among Wicks’s greatest contributions to McCarthy’s team has been her cool demeanor under pressure.
“When time ticks down, obviously you gamble a bit more, and push more players forward,” Wicks said. “But I tend not to look at the clock and try to treat every minute the same. Players should look at the first minute of play the same as they do the last.”
It is her innate ability to deal with pressure, along with her years of experience, that have allowed her to develop a positive mentality in the final minutes of the game.
“You try to maximize your chances of scoring. It’s just key to stay calm,” Wicks said.
Although Wicks says that Saturday was not the best game she’s ever had for the Lions, it’s safe to say she had plenty of fun.
“For the first goal, after we won the throw-in, it ran through my mind that it was now or never. As for the second goal, there was 45 seconds left, and I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be funny if we scored now?” Wicks said.
The Lions did score, giving them an exciting victory over an Ivy League rival.
“Chelsea threw the ball into the box, and I headed it into the near post. Then I laughed,” Wicks said. “The celebration? It was pretty epic. It was an exciting time.”
As the soccer season comes to a close, Wicks’ goals seem to have reenergized the senior going into the last two games of her college career.
“My first goal is to win out the season. Secondly, I want to do something epic, like score a 40 yard goal, an over-head scissor kick goal, or taking on the entire defense of the other team and scoring,” Wicks said.
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