Despite their loss away against No. 12 Penn State on Sunday, Columbia Women’s Soccer Team (2-3-3, 0-0-0 Ivy) returned home for a smashing win against Providence College (3-4-1, 0-0-0 Big East) on Friday.

Excited for my second Columbia Soccer game, I decided to take the shuttle to Baker Athletic Complex instead of the subway, saving me six dollars and offering beautiful views of the Hudson from Uptown. There was a great turnout at this team’s third home game of the season. After whistle blow the Lions began with a strong offense, securing and maintaining possession within the first few minutes. A strong attack looked to be promising as Justina Pulitzer (CC ’26) fired a shot in the second minute but it was blocked by Providence. Then, Sophia Cavaliere (CC ‘25) was awarded a penalty kick in the seventh minute. Scoring in the lower right, she found her first goal of the season and gave the Lions an early 1-0 lead. The remaining minutes of the first half were characterized by a fight for possession from both sides; a series of steals and Zidane Roulettes (French-Algerian soccer player Zinedine Zidane’s signature move) made it difficult for either team to advance. As Providence sought to even the score, Columbia’s attacking presence slowed; even with two free kicks, a corner, and a shot by Angel Akanyirige (BC’ 28) in the 39th, the Lions could not place another ball in the net for the remainder of the half. 

Halftime: Columbia 1, Providence 0

However, the Lions returned with an explosive momentum in the second half. Columbia goalie Lauren Rodriguez (BC ‘25) saved three shots within the first eleven minutes of play. Then, Charlyse Berry (CC ’26) shot and scored a goal in the 58th with an incredible assist from Nata Ramirez (CC ‘25), who dribbled past the goalie and passed to Berry, giving Columbia their second goal of the night. This was also Berry’s first goal of the season. The Lions kept up their high offensive momentum, clearly searching for a third goal. Their needs were met in the 66th minute, where a beautiful cross from Sam Cohn (CC’ 25) allowed Nata Ramirez (CC ‘25) to head the ball into the top half of the net. But Columbia was unstoppable, as just a minute later in the 67th, Maia Tabion (CC’ 26) passed through Providence’s defense to first year Angel Akanyirige (BC ‘28), who found her first goal of the season and of her college soccer career, tucking it right past the goalie in the lower right corner of the net. The Lions were now leading 4-0 and continued to place pressure on Providence’s defensive line and dominate possession, totaling an impressive 13 shots (as opposed to 4 from Providence) for the second half including one by Annie Fararone (CC ‘28) in the 89th that hit the crossbar. Columbia successfully closed the shutout 4-0, celebrating after the match with autographs for the little ones; I even managed to get an autograph from senior Ania Prussak (CC’ 25)!

Fulltime: Columbia 4, Providence 0

As their best game of the season so far, the Lion’s have clearly demonstrated their attacking prowess and powerful momentum, hopefully preparing them for their Ivy League opener at UPenn on Saturday, September 28.

Image via CUAthletics