On Senior Day at Jordan Field, the Harvard women’s lacrosse team finally conquered the adverse weather conditions that have plagued it all season long, hanging on to beat Columbia 10-8 in the final home game for the team’s five seniors and legendary coach Carole Kleinfelder.

“We went into it knowing it was Carole’s last game, and we went in with the mind set that we had to win,” sophomore Kelly Noon said.

The Crimson (3-10, 1-5 Ivy) frequently fell victim to the cold, blustery conditions that have so often handcuffed its play at home, never adequately adjusting to the driving rains that shut it down as well as any opponent.

“I would say we have definitely had our fair share of games in bad weather,” Noon said. “We’ve definitely gotten used to it. Every game [in these conditions] makes you better.”

Tied at eight with less than five minutes to go, Harvard took to the attack, driving toward the Lions’ (5-9, 1-6) goal before settling in to wait for a better scoring opportunity.

It didn’t take long.

With the Crimson swinging the ball from side to side waiting for the right shot, Columbia freshman keeper Marcela Calidonia became edgy with her team’s inability to recover possession.

So when an entry pass was hurled diagonally across the goal mouth to junior midfielder Jen Brooks a few feet to her right, Calidonia lunged forward, taking herself out of position in an attempt to intercept it and halt the Crimson attack.

But Calidonia did not reach the ball and it snuck by her to a waiting Brooks, who tucked the ball into co-captain midfielder Katie Shaughnessy’s stick on the opposite side of the goal mouth.

With one fluid stroke, Shaughnessy buried the ball in the back of the net and with it, any lingering fears about a winless Ivy season.

“I don’t think it was a layup goal, but [Calidonia] was definitely out of position,” Noon said. “She went for the first fake and lunged, so there was an open net to score.”

Shaughnessy stole the show in her final home game, netting the game winner as part of a hat trick that extended her goal-scoring streak to six games. She also added an assist.

“I wanted to win [and] I wanted our team to win,” Shaughnessy said. “It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d played a great game and our team had lost.”

Thoughts of victory were far from the players’ minds when Columbia took a two-goal lead midway through the first half.

“I would say that in the beginning we came out a little slow, let them have a few open cutters right out in front of the goal,” Noon said. “We definitely cleaned it up second half when we had to.”