DURHAM, N.H. – It was a fight to the finish at Wildcat Stadium as the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (4-3, 0-0) defeated the Columbia University Lions (2-4, 0-1) on Saturday to extend their win streak to three. Columbia didn’t go down without a fight as they outscored the Wildcats in the second half, but it was too little too late for the Ivy Leaguers.  

It truly was a tale of two halves, as Columbia outscored the Wildcats 4-2 in the third quarter which was followed by an evenly matched fourth, with each team tallying two goals in the final frame. This came as a surprise as UNH has relied on their fourth quarter heroics to close games out to this point. During this win streak, this team has been fully reliant on the offense to dominate the fourth quarter and punish teams with their conditioning.  

The game started with an early Columbia lead, but UNH was able to score three times in a 52-second span with three separate players recording goals, including senior captain Delaney Pratt. Pratt has ascended as an important leader and premier goal scorer for this squad, as she leads the team with 13 goals.  

Among the top point scorers for the Wildcats were familiar faces in junior Liv Dunn and first-year player Allie Connerty. Connerty has proved her worth in the offense as her emergence as a dual threat has become very apparent. Sophomore Mackenzie MacEachern has also continued her hot streak of scoring as she tallied a career high three goals in the win.  

Columbia tied the game before the ‘Cats were able to regain the lead off sophomore Kelsey MacCallum’s top-shelf snipe with 19 seconds remaining in the first. It was apparent that the offense was ready to play as they continued to dominate into the second quarter, burying seven goals in the second frame compared to only three goals for Columbia. The first half came to a close with the Wildcats leading 11-6. 

As previously stated, the third and fourth quarters were extremely tight, proving that this was the reverse script of a typical UNH game. The offense came out firing early, and it was on the defense to hold the lead for the remainder of the game. Defensive adjustments from both teams proved to be crucial in determining the outcome of the game.  

UNH has not only solidified settled offense and defense, but they have also improved on the small details in the middle of the field. New Hampshire scooped up 26 ground balls compared to Columbia’s 18 while also winning the turnover battle by a margin of six with 18 to Columbia’s 24. In the clearing game, UNH was a strong 75% while Columbia was well over 80%.  

At the end of the day, the Wildcats proved they can win in more than one way on Saturday. They played a complete game with all hands on deck, as they want to.  

Photo courtesy of Andrew Yourell