Captain Liza Barber, playing in what was likely her final game, saved a shot on the goal line and cleared it to preserve Saturday's 3-0 shutout win.

After being honored before their final home action of the season, the graduating members of the Harvard women’s soccer team made sure that Senior Day involved more than just a pre-game ceremony and some homemade signs.

The Crimson (8-6-2, 4-3-0 Ivy) tallied twice in the opening minutes of the game and never looked back, taking a 3-0 decision over Columbia (9-8-0, 1-6-0) in an effort that was spearheaded largely by the four senior members of the Harvard squad.

Much of the drama was taken out of this one early. In just the sixth minute, freshman midfielder Megan Merritt sent the ball through the defense to classmate Jamie Greenwald, who fired a shot into the far side of the goal.

Less than 20 seconds later, senior forward Alisha Moran recorded the 17th and likely final goal of her illustrious Harvard career when she gathered a through-ball from Greenwald and slid it past the charging goalkeeper.

“[Alisha] is one of the kids who’s really taken it up a notch,” said Harvard coach Tim Wheaton. “She’s always been a good player for us, but this year she’s a machine. She’s fit and can run forever.”

Attacking into a stiff wind during the first half, the Crimson relied mostly on short, accurate passes, and was able to dominate possession of the ball.

“We went in with the strategy that, as long as we’re possessing the ball, the opportunities will come,” Moran said. “You just have to have patience.”

With the Lions stymied again and again by the staunch Harvard defense, the Crimson put the game away for good on a counterattack with less than five minutes remaining. Junior midfielder Maile Tavepholjalern sent the ball to junior forward Sara Sedgwick, who found the corner of the net to create the final margin.

The 3-0 final was a mirror image of Harvard’s game last week, when the Crimson lost to Dartmouth by a score of 3-0.

“It was great to go out [at home] on a note where the whole team played well,” said Moran. “We were determined to play better than we did at Dartmouth.”

And on Senior Day at Ohiri Field—where Harvard was an undefeated 5-0-1 on the season—it was only fitting that the four Crimson seniors led their teammates by example, as they have done all year.

There was Moran, tallying a goal as well as having another shot deflected off the post while leading the team with three shots on goal.

There was senior forward Emily Colvin, outrunning Columbia defenders for loose balls and rifling a shot off the crossbar in the first half—one of three shots for Colvin in the game.

There was captain back Liza Barber, anchoring the defense and even stopping and clearing a shot on the goal line when junior goalkeeper Katie Shields was beat.

And there was captain midfielder Falyne Chave, helping Harvard control the midfield and always putting herself in the thick of the action.