Senior Charles Altchek scored two second-half goals four minutes apart Saturday afternoon as Harvard defeated Columbia, 3-1, to win the Ivy League championship outright at Ohiri Field.
The Crimson claimed its 12th League title in school history, but first since the 1996 season. The title gives Harvard the Ivy LeagueÆs automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The win also marked the eighth consecutive victory for a Harvard team that is now 13-4-0 overall. The Crimson finished 6-1-0 in the league after dropping its opener at Penn back in September. Penn, which entered play on Saturday with a chance at winning the championship, downed Princeton, 1-0, in overtime. The Quakers finished in second place with a 5-1-1 record.
ôI am just so happy for this team,ö said Coach John Kerr. ôWe fell behind early this season with a loss to a very good Penn team, but our kids deserve so much credit for playing one game at a time and putting themselves in position to win a championship.''