No. 20 W. Soccer Edges by Columbia, 2-1

Sophomore midfielder Katie Westfall’s second goal of the season was the game-winning tally in the Harvard women’s soccer team’s 2-1 victory over Columbia on Saturday at Columbia Soccer Stadium.

The No. 20 Crimson improves to 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the Ivies, while the Lions fall to 9-6-1 overall and 1-4-1 in the Ivies.

Westfall’s goal in the 61st minute was set up off a short cross by junior forward Joey Yenne, a combination that has worked many times for Harvard in the past.

Junior forward Beth Totman dribbled past defenders to the top of the box and then passed off to Yenne, who ran through on a diagonal. Yenne took the ball down the sideline and then crossed to Westfall in the center, who drove home the game-winner.

“I heard Katie’s voice, and I knew she would be there in the center,” Yenne said. “Katie and I have scored countless goals that way, and we know what to expect from each other in that position.”

The assist was Yenne’s sixth of the season.

The scoring began in the 25th minute of the game off an own goal that gave Harvard a 1-0 lead. Yenne took the ball down the left sideline and then crossed it to the center, looking for Totman or Westfall. A Columbia defender reached the ball first but deflected it over the head of her own goalkeeper, sophomore Janine Ierardi.

“[The defender] ended up not getting a good touch on it, and it flew into the upper 90 of the goal,” Yenne said. “It was a little unexpected, but we’ll take goals any way we can get them.”

The breaks have been coming in the past two games for a Crimson team who has seen a reversal of fortune following a three-game skid. In Harvard’s Wednesday win over Hartford, the Crimson won 1-0 thanks to a Hawk defense that misinterpreted an offsides flag.

“The three game losing streak was a big downer for all of us,” Yenne said. “We could feel it at practice and the games. Now that we’re winning again, we’re very excited about the NCAAs and the last game of the season.”

The Lions tied the score at 1-1 with just 1:18 left in the half. Columbia sophomore midfielder Tara Davis redirected senior back Lauren Papalia’s free kick from just outside the penalty box past Crimson junior goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther.

Gunther and Ierardi made three saves each, though Harvard outshot the Lions 16-8 on the day.

The Crimson has now won two straight, while Columbia is winless in its last four games.

Harvard was elimated from the Ivy title race after Princeton tied Penn 1-1 in double overtime on Saturday.

Harvard has already proved that this year’s team is capable of rebounding following a tough loss, an improvement from last season’s finish that saw the Crimson losing its final five games.

“The last couple games haven’t been our best games, but we found a way to win,” said sophomore midfielder Katie Hodel. “Last year we didn’t get that done. Against Hartford, we made the one goal stand, and we did the same thing against Columbia.”

The Crimson is second in the Northeast Regional rankings and virtually guaranteed an NCAA berth. Harvard is in contention to be one of 16 host sites for the first two rounds of NCAAs, but it will have to beat Penn (12-1-3, 4-1-1) in its final game of the regular season next Saturday to have a chance.

“Beating Penn is a big game because they have been doing well in the Ivies this year, and we want to show that we belong at the top of the Ivies even though we were beaten in two games,” Totman said.