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The No. 24 Harvard Crimson defeated the Columbia Lions 18-4 on Saturday afternoon while celebrating the six student-athletes of its senior class and capping off an excellent regular season of lacrosse.

The day started on a high note for the Crimson (9-6, 3-4 Ivy), as senior defender Anna Andrews kicked off the festivities by singing the national anthem. Harvard also played the Canadian anthem to honor its captain, Annabel Child, who hails from Oakville, Ontario.

Harvard’s class of 2025 is composed of six impactful players, both on and off the lacrosse field.

Captain Caroline Mullahy earned the title of Unanimous All-Ivy First Team. Her selfless style of play, paired with her eye for a perfect feed, has led her to become the Ivy League record holder for most career assists. After tallying two more during the contest against the Lions, Mullahy’s record stands at an impressive 150 helpers.

Child also earned the title of All-Ivy First Team for her performance on the defensive end for the Crimson. With her speed and her deft stick skills, Child has forced 25 turnovers, snagged 11 draw controls, and picked up 35 ground balls this season.

Charley Meier, the Crimson’s third captain, has also made a significant contribution to her team. The Wilmette, Ill., native has scored an impressive 25 goals this season. Meier seems to excel under pressure, as she has notched critical points during some of Harvard’s closest contests this spring, including two goals in the team’s overtime win against UConn and three goals in the team’s 10-8 win over No. 16 Penn.

Senior Lizzie Francioli has been a rock for Harvard in the net all spring. During her collegiate career, she has made an impressive 137 saves in the crease. The Baltimore, MD., native made 87 of these saves during her senior year, and continued her excellent season with a few highlight-reel-worthy moments against Columbia this past weekend.

Grace Taylor, a senior defender from nearby Dedham, Mass., was recently named as one of the 20 student-athletes across the country to make the 2025 Allstate Good Works Team. The award is given to student-athletes in all divisions of the NCAA who have excelled in community service, athletically, and in the classroom. After being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in 2022, Taylor has advocated for the Mass General Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Program. After treatment, Taylor has been incredibly successful on the field as well as academically at Harvard. The senior has started all 15 games this season and has forced 18 turnovers and nabbed 22 ground balls.

Andrews is also a force to be reckoned with, both on the field and off. In addition to being a critical defender, Andrews proved herself to be an excellent singer with her national anthem performance. On the field, Andrews is a quick and aggressive defender who stands firm along the crease. She has started in all 15 games this season and has also recorded an impressive 11 ground balls this year.

With its incredible senior class in mind, Harvard took to the field dominantly, looking to keep the Lions winless in the Ivy League since 2019.

Junior Charlotte Hodgson and sophomore Stella Shea, both All-Ivy Honorable Mentions, secured the first draw for the Crimson. However, Columbia’s defense made a stop, forcing a turnover and shocking the Harvard team by scoring the first goal.

The Crimson, determined to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, responded quickly. Hodgson deftly secured the following draw and evened the score, tallying her first of five goals.

Columbia earned the next draw, but Shea and Taylor caused a turnover. Taylor thundered over the 30 with the ball, perfecting the clear and dishing it back to Shea, who drew a shooting space call and converted on the free position opportunity.

After taking the 2-1 lead, the remainder of the first quarter was marked with a flurry of Harvard goals. Hodgson tallied two more goals, nabbing a hat trick within the first ten minutes of play. Freshman Tori Balser also added her name to the score sheet. Caroline Mullahy then made a perfect check during a Columbia clear, which led her to a one-on-one with the goalie. The senior captain scored effortlessly, putting the Crimson ahead 6-1. Mullahy’s sister, Grace, fired one of her own past the Lions’ defenders, sending a rapid bounceshot into the back of the net. With five seconds remaining in the first, Shea notched her second of the afternoon. Harvard led 8-1.

Caroline Mullahy opened up the second quarter by tallying another goal. Shortly after, freshman Nicole Giannakopoulos scored a goal of her own.

With the scoreboard reading 10-1, the Lions fought desperately to prevent the clock from going into running time. Francioli made an enormous save, sending her bench into a raucous flurry of celebrations.

However, after Francioli’s save, Columbia was able to convert on a free-position opportunity, bringing the score to 10-2. Another huge save from Francioli led to further celebrations on the Harvard bench and sidelines alike.

The momentum from Francioli spurred Meier to fire one home from the eight-meter. A few minutes later, the captain struck again, as a ball that was intended to be a pass bounced awkwardly past the Lions’ goaltender. As Harvard now led by 10 points, the clock began to run.

After halftime, Harvard maintained its energy. Columbia was able to score two more goals in the remaining thirty minutes of play, but it was no match for the Crimson, who pummeled the Lions on the offensive side of the field.

Caroline Mullay scored again on a free position shot in the third quarter. Immediately after, Shea scored her third of the day, capitalizing on a woman-up opportunity, as Columbia’s Maddy Goger was cited with a yellow card.

In the fourth quarter, Hodgson scored her fourth goal of the game, spurring Harvard to a 15-3 lead.

Columbia then scored its fourth and final goal.

In response, the Mullahy sisters struck for Harvard, as Grace caught an excellent feed from Caroline and fired the ball home. Two minutes later, Hodgson scored her fifth goal of the game, tying her season-high record for most goals scored in a single contest.

Despite the Crimson’s 17-4 lead, Harvard’s Head Coach Devon Wills suddenly called a timeout.

The many Crimson fans who lined Jordan Field cheered, as the Harvard lacrosse faithful knew that Wills was hoping to help Caroline Mullahy reach her 150th career assist at home.

Sure enough, immediately after the halftime break, all eyes were on the senior attacker. The Harvard team fought to get its captain the ball. Once Mullahy had possession, sophomore Callie Batchelder made an excellent cut towards the net. Mullahy fed the ball to Batchelder, who sent it flying into the back of the net.

Screaming in celebration, Batchelder pointed at Mullahy before giving her a huge hug. The whole team, both on and off the field, cheered loudly for the senior’s incredible milestone. With the assist, Mullahy now ranks 15th all-time in the NCAA for most assists within a collegiate career.

Ending on that joyous high, the Harvard team won its last game at home 18-4.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, the team had already been eliminated from the Ivy League Tournament in the midst of an incredibly competitive lacrosse season for both the men and the women. This leaves Harvard with no opportunity to win the tournament and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA bracket.

Now, while No. 5 Princeton, No. 7 Yale, No. 16 Penn, and No. 20 Brown vie for the title of Ivy League Champions, the Harvard team has to wait and hope that there are no upsets. To get an at-large bid to the NCAA bracket, the Crimson needs the highest-ranked teams to win each of the league championships so that it can earn a spot with its current national ranking of 24.

29 teams will get a chance to play in the tournament, but only 14 of those teams are selected through at-large bids; the rest are determined by league championships. Currently, the future looks bright for the Harvard team, as No. 1 North Carolina won the ACC Championship and No. 3 Northwestern won the Big 10.

Tune in to the NCAA Tournament Show on Sunday, May 4, to see if the Crimson’s season will extend into postseason play.

– Staff Writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com.