Lions Look to Rebound Against Tigers

After a heartbreaking loss to Penn and a draw against Marist, the Lions (6-3-3, 1-1-0 Ivy) hope to return to their winning ways at Princeton tomorrow.

The Light Blue’s first Ivy loss since 2005 is not a lingering memory for the team.
“We’ve moved forward from that,” head coach Kevin McCarthy said. “All our energies now are focused on having a peak performance against Princeton.”

Columbia will not have much room for error. The Tigers (5-4-1, 2-0-0 Ivy) are currently undefeated in the league, with wins against Dartmouth and Brown. They are riding a five-game win streak during which they have outscored their opponents 16-3. This recent hot streak gives Princeton unexpected momentum after the team went 0-4-1 to start the season.

Last year, the Light Blue capped off a stellar year of league play with a shutout of Harvard that put the team at 6-0-1 in the conference and crowned the Lions as champions. But the Lions have dug themselves a bit of a hole this year as they currently sit at 1-1-0 in the league. Another Ivy loss could put a dagger in their plans to garner a second consecutive conference title as Columbia is currently tied with Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth for third place in the league standings. If the Lions defeat Princeton, both teams will be tied with a 2-1-0 record and the standings could be completely shaken up if Dartmouth can overtake Penn tomorrow, giving every team at least one loss.

In order to beat Princeton, the Lions’ game must run on all cylinders. “Everybody’s going to have to be fully engaged both mentally and physically,” McCarthy said.
Offensively, the Lions will be led by a tenacious trio of forwards. Freshman Chrissy Butler and junior Allison Leonard lead the team in scoring with five goals each on the season, while sophomore Sophie Reiser has scored four goals and notched a team-high six assists. On the other side of the field, senior goalkeeper Allison Vespa has only allowed seven goals in eight games.

Princeton will threaten with senior midfielder and recent Ivy League Player of the Week Diana Matheson. Although she has only played in three games this year for the Tigers, Matheson has two goals and leads the team with five assists on the season. Ironically, Matheson’s limited appearances this year are because of her immense talent; the senior did not play for Princeton last month due to her commitment to Canada in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

With a win this Saturday, the Lions will extend their current unbeaten streak to two. It is a far cry from the eight consecutive games they played without defeat earlier this season, but it will get the Lions back on track to achieving their goal.

McCarthy is not concerned about the team’s record. “This team knows how to win,” he said. “It’s important that we focus on our performance and getting back to our highest level and the winning will take care of itself.”