“Marisa made big plays when we needed her to, which really helped deflate Columbia’s momentum,” tri-captain midfielder Megan Hennessey said. “We wanted her to have the ball; we trust her when it’s in her stick.”
The Crimson had gotten to halftime in a reasonably secure position, leading 7-5.
After Columbia tied the game at one apiece early on, tri-captain attacker Maeve McMahon scored twice, once with an astonishing behind-the-back shot from outside the crease.
Junior midfielder Julia Glynn and junior attacker Eliza Guild each found the back of the Columbia net as well to stretch the Harvard advantage to 5-3, but the Lions scored two quick goals to even the scoreline once more.
Glynn handed the lead back to the Crimson, receiving a pass from Romeo and beating the Columbia keeper with a shot fake, before sophomore midfielder Keeley MacAfee netted a goal to send Harvard into the break ahead by two.
The second stanza would be defined by the Crimson’s gritty defensive play and Romeo’s attacking ability.
Columbia exploded out of the gates after the restart, as Lions junior attacker Victoria Kalamaras scored twice in less than 10 minutes to drag her team level for a third time.
It was after Kalamaras’ second score that Harvard picked up its game, limiting Columbia to just five shots for the remainder of the closing period and preventing the Lions from registering a single effort on goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, Romeo took over. First, the senior beat a Columbia defender with a quick cut and beat Gedin at the top corner, pulling the Crimson back into the lead. She went on to net another just over 30 seconds later, sneaking a low blast into the goal from distance to stretch the score to 9-7.
Romeo’s third goal of the game completed her sixth hat trick of the campaign, but the senior wasn’t finished.
After the Lions pulled the game within one point with another goal, senior defender Marina Burke capitalized on a Columbia turnover and found McMahon in the middle of the field. McMahon picked out Romeo, who slashed home a shot to complete the 10-8 scoreline with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest.
Harvard managed to see out the rest of the game, causing five more Lions turnovers and completing three clear attempts before the final whistle.
“I have to give Columbia credit, they have had close games with good teams and are playing good defense,” Miller said. “Their midfielders were very gritty and all over the field yesterday, [but] we played great defense the whole way.”
—Staff writer Sam O.M. Christenfeld can be reached at sam.christenfeld@thecrimson.com