Field Hockey Drops Ivy League Opener at Columbia, 4-1

Friday, September 20

5 pm

Brown University

(2-3, 0-1)

Columbia

(3-2, 1-0)

Brown

Columbia

Field Hockey Drops Ivy League Opener at Columbia, 4-1

9/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Brown field hockey team could not overcome a two-goal first-half deficit in a 4-1 loss at Columbia in the Bears' Ivy League opener on Friday. Brown slips to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Lions improve to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

Junior Meghan O'Donnell (Winchester, Mass.) buried her team-leading fifth goal of the season to make it a 3-1 game heading into the second half, but Liz Malone and Katie Ruesterholz each scored twice to help Columbia win its Ivy opener against Brown for the seventh season in a row.

The Lions quickly claimed the driver's seat with two goals in the first 15 minutes of play, followed by Malone's second marker to put Brown in a 3-0 hole at the 26:17 point. O'Donnell cut the deficit to two on a feed from junior Clayton Christus (Bernardsville, N.J.), but Brown managed just a pair of shots in the second half and could not mount a rally after falling behind 4-1 on Ruesterholz's second goal.

Bears junior goalie Shannon McSweeney (Boxborough, Mass.) made 10 saves and recorded double-digit stops for the third time this season. Senior Kelsey Grossman (Shavertown, Pa.) tallied a defensive save to prevent a fifth Lions goal, while Columbia keeper Kimberly Pianucci stopped three out of four shots sent her way.

Brown completes its four-game road stint on Sunday with a non-league contest at Colgate at 12 p.m.