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Harvard women’s soccer (4-2-5, 0-2-1 Ivy) returned home to Jordan Field last weekend for its Ivy League home opener, losing 2-1 to Columbia, before earning a 1-1 draw at Dartmouth on Wednesday.

The match-up with the Lions (4-3-3, 2-0-0 Ivy) was a rematch of last year’s Ivy League Tournament Championship, which Harvard dominated to the tune of a 3-0 victory. But this time around, the Lions left the Crimson stunned, departing Harvard with a win. Meanwhile, the draw against the Big Green (6-4-2, 0-2-1 Ivy) was the first time that Harvard failed to beat Dartmouth since 2018.

As autumn rolled around in Cambridge, anticipation hung in the crisp air. After a grueling road stretch, the team finally returned to familiar grounds to battle against a rolling Lions team. Columbia entered the matchup with elite confidence, considering the team’s last two dominating wins: 4-0 against Providence in the team’s final non-conference matchup and a 3-0 win against UPenn in Philadelphia for its first Ivy League matchup. For the Crimson, on the other hand, the Ivy League opener did not proceed as planned, with a devastating loss to Brown last Saturday, 2-1.

This game was an opportunity for Harvard to place its first Ivy League game firmly in the past. The stands buzzed with life, a sea of crimson and white. With several local youth teams in appearance, each dreaming of one day playing on that same field, it was not just a game — the homecoming for the Crimson’s players was a reminder of why they play and who they play for. As the whistle blew and the ball was set in motion, it was time for Harvard to reclaim its home turf.

In the early minutes of action, Harvard’s defense was crucial in defending the goal from Columbia. At first, junior starting goalkeeper Rhiannon Stewart saved an easy ground ball to make an early save for Harvard, after Columbia made a quick push up the field. Then, sophomore forward Anna Rayhill made a game-changing save in the goal for the Crimson after the second shot on goal for the Lions in the first half.

After a strong drive into Havard territory, a slew of white Harvard jerseys raced back to help Stewart defend the goal. The shot from Columbia slid by Stewart, who believed the ball was going to be kicked out of bounds by the right side of the post, but the ball continued to roll past the post and down the goal line. With the ball inches away from crossing over the line for a goal for the Lions, Rayhill swooped in to clear the ball and save Harvard from an early goal from Columbia.

On the offensive side of the ball, senior forward Nicola Golden recorded the first shot on goal for the Crimson fourteen minutes into the matchup. After a nifty move on her defender, Golden shot a ravishing shot from the left corner of the box, appearing to be headed straight for the right side of the goal, but Colombia’s goalkeeper made a play on the ball. There was an opportunity to shoot off the rebound, but the Lions defenders rushed in to kick the ball out.

After a tough loss last week, Harvard’s defense played with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation early on against the Lions. The back line of defenders, including junior August Hunter, senior Sydney Farnham, and first-year Erin Gordon all contributed their efforts in the first half to keep Columbia scoreless. It was a gritty half, defined by resilience and close calls, with the players fighting to reclaim the pride of their home field. The score remained deadlocked at 0-0, but Harvard had weathered the storm, and with its defense holding firm, the stage was set for a second half that promised to be just as intense.

As the second half began, the Crimson sought to change the offensive narrative, considering that the Lions held a 5-3 advantage in shots. Harvard earned an early corner kick only eight minutes into the second half, when a good-looking ball was placed for senior midfielder Josefine Hasbo right at the goal, but she could not convert as the Lions cleared the ball once again.

At the 60 minute mark, the dam finally broke for the Crimson. Columbia raced the ball up the left side of the field and crossed the ball into the box, where it was met by senior forward Nata Ramirez. Despite the pressure of Harvard defenders to push her out of bounds, including Stewart out of the goal, she was able to slice the ball through to senior defender Marcia Ojo, who fired the ball into the open goal to give the Lions the lead.

For many teams, this goal would have been the death knell in the game, but not the Crimson. Just 31 seconds after a Columbia score, the Crimson would score the equalizer. Harvard wasted no time to power the ball into Columbia territory, ending with Áslaug Gunnlaugsdóttir making yet another phenomenal play for the offense. In a fight for possession of the ball by the right side of the goal, Gunnlaugsdóttir gained possession and fired an unbelievable left-footed strike into a sliver of a window. The ball sailed past a Columbia defender and through the shoulder of the Lion goalkeeper into the top right of the net.

With time winding down and the game locked at 1-1, the energy at Jordan Field surged to another level. The Crimson, unfazed by Colombia's goal, had ignited the home crowd with an equalizer of its own. The stands were alive with the roar of fans jumping in excitement, urging their team forward with every possession. Harvard’s offense pressed harder than ever, while the defense tried to remain impenetrable, refusing to give the Lions another opening.

With two minutes left in the game, Harvard seemed poised to secure at least a hard-fought draw, if not complete what would have been an astounding comeback. But then, in a cruel twist of fate, Columbia found its opening.

After a quick, strong counterattack by the Lions, Harvard’s defense was caught in frantic disarray. Columbia’s Ramirez kicked the ball to her freshman teammate, forward Angel Akanyirige, who was in perfect position for a shot on goal. The first year received the ball and fired a prayer from outside the ball towards the goal. With a slightly delayed reaction from Stewart, the ball trickled agonizingly into the back of the net, a heartbreaking moment for Harvard. The roar of the crowd silenced in an instant, as the Lions celebrated their 2-1 lead. Harvard was unable to tie the game, as Columbia topped the Crimson with a 2-1 result.

Despite the unexpectedly difficult start to the conference season, Harvard’s spirits remain high, with the opportunity to improve in the coming weeks. The resilience shown in the battle against Columbia — a team that came in riding high — proved that the Crimson is not easily shaken. The defense channeled the fight and determination this team carries into every match, while Harvard’s offense has proved its ability to strike at any moment. The heartbreak of a late loss is undeniable, but the loss will undoubtedly serve as fuel for the team’s important games coming up.

The Crimson returned to the field in Hanover, N.H., on Wednesday to take on Dartmouth, hoping to earn its first conference win of the season. Despite outshooting the Big Green, 15-13, the Crimson was playing catch-up for most of the second half after going down 1-0 at the end of the first. Junior forward Audrey Francois struck the equalizer at the 74th game, her first goal of the season and a score that clinched a 1-1 draw. The Quebec native earned her first goal since Oct. 7, 2023 against Cornell.

Harvard will return to Jordan Field on Sunday to take on the Big Red, in a game that it hopes will be its return to Ivy League contention. It will be streamed on ESPN+.

—Staff writer Chandler Piggé can be reached at chandler.pigge@thecrimson.com.