After a winless weekend, the Columbia women’s soccer team bounced back with an offensive tour de force on Tuesday night. The Lions overtook Central Connecticut State by a 3-2 score to notch their third win of the season.
Columbia (3-3-1) initially struggled to find a rhythm on the attack, committing five offside offenses in the first 30 minutes of play.
“In the first half, it was kind of tough to break that pattern of getting into offsides,” senior midfielder Sophie Reiser said. “But also, being able to push forward and have that attacking mindset is what got us those three goals, so we were able to correct for it.”
Central Connecticut State (2-5-1) struck in the 34th minute when junior midfielder Beth Lloyd scored her first goal of the year giving the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, junior forward Kelly Hostetler answered with a tally for Columbia.
The Lions jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second half, as Reiser and sophomore forward Marissa Schultz teamed up for two goals. Schultz scored in the 48th and 50th minutes, netting her second goal after she and Reiser both had shots blocked.
“They were both very high-pressure goals,” Reiser said. “I think it’s been a testament to Marissa’s ability to really fight for the ball and keep it in the offensive end.”
The Blue Devils cut into the Lions’ lead with a goal in the 89th minute and came close to tying the game, but a shot by senior forward Brittany Emin with one second remaining sailed wide.
“Nothing seems to be coming easy for this team,” Columbia head coach Kevin McCarthy. “We made a bit of a mess of it in the last couple of minutes, so we’ve got to clean that up.”
While the Lions must improve on the defensive end, McCarthy was pleased with their offensive showing in the second period.
“When we play in the way that we’re coached to play … with intensity and pressure and high pace, then we’re going to trouble teams and create scoring chances,” he said. “It was good to see us have some really exciting, attractive, and productive attacking play.”
Columbia begins Ivy League competition at Cornell on Friday, with kick-off set for 7 p.m.
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