With just three minutes left against the visiting Dartmouth, the Columbia Women’s Soccer Team went on to score a penalty propelling them to their fourth straight victory and a first place lead in the Ivy League Tournament.

Headed into their fourth game of the 2024 Ivy League season, the Columbia Women’s Soccer Team was posed for an exciting matchup against the visiting squad from Dartmouth College. On a gorgeous fall afternoon at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium, the lions were ready for action. A definite chill in the area, there also pulsed an anticipation of excitement before the match had begun, as like Columbia, the opposing team had started their fall season quite competitively. To set the scene–the annual October Breast Cancer Awareness Day game had fans and players alike dressed in pink, showing their support for such an amazing cause. The atmosphere had a positive outlook and while the chants of “Let’s Go Columbia” echoed, each respective team made their way to the pitch to fight on the field. 

During the first half, both sides held their ground–keeping the score locked at 0-0 after forty-five minutes. For a brief moment it felt as if the lions would take the lead–the first opportunity of either team to get on the board. Unfortunately, an unlucky offsides call had the goal taken away. As the rest of the first half continued, the lions successfully had three more shots right on goal and in the end, limited the big green to just seven shots during the duration of the entire game. The lion’s powerful defense stepped up to allow Dartmouth only just two shots on goal, both stopped by senior goalie, Lauren Rodriguez (BC ’25).

After the end of the first half, tension continued to build as the lions worked to dominate possession and push against Dartmouth’s aggressive squad. After a couple more shots that ultimately did not convert due to goals, time began to run out. But the score of 0-0 quickly came to an end when senior midfielder Sophia Cavaliere stepped up to the penalty line in the 87th minute. With just three minutes remaining in the game, Cavaliere passed the Dartmouth goalie with a perfectly placed shot in the bottom left hand corner. With the ball securely in the net, the lions and fans alike erupted in cheers before the game came to a sudden halt. Another victory for the squad on the most perfect day. 

As the Columbia Women’s Soccer Team look to the rest of the season, they will compete to continue to maintain their newly secured first place seed in the Ivy League. Moving to a 6-3-3 (overall) and 4-0 (Ivy league) record puts the team in a confident position to fight against their upcoming opponents of Princeton, Yale and Brown–the last of whom they will take on this Saturday October 19th in Providence, Rhode Island. This is only the beginning for these strong and competitive women!! LET’S GO LIONS. 

Image via Athletics Photographer, Josh Wang