Harvard Field Hockey Takes on Rival Princeton in Final Four

This afternoon, the Ivy League’s most storied field hockey rivalry, that between Harvard and Princeton, will play on its biggest stage yet, the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

This contest will be the third time this season that the two programs have met, although the stakes are higher than ever before, as the winner will advance to the final game and vie for the title of National Champions.

Regardless of the outcome, the match will conclude an epic rivalry season between the two programs, which have consistently clashed as the best teams in the Ivy League.

In late September, the Crimson first defeated the Tigers with a score of 3-1. Princeton then got its revenge in the later Ivy League Tournament Championship game, in which it handed Harvard its only loss so far this season. This third and final game will mark the first time that the Crimson and the Tigers face off with a spot in the title match on the line.

The game also marks Harvard’s second Final Four appearance in school history. The first time the Crimson made it to the semifinals was in 2021, when it lost to the later champion, Northwestern, in overtime.

This season, Harvard enters the contest spurred by the momentum of one of the most successful campaigns in Ivy League history. The Crimson has tallied an impressive 19 wins, the most that the program has ever recorded within a season. Harvard was the only team to earn a completely undefeated regular season record, and is one of the three programs in the country that have only suffered one loss, alongside North Carolina and Northwestern, who face off in the opposite semifinal match.

So far in the playoff stretch, Harvard has exhibited both resilience and incredible talent. In the Ivy League Tournament, the Crimson coasted to a 2-0 win over Brown before dropping the heartbreaking 2-1 game in the final against Princeton.

Harvard’s regular season record was still impressive enough to secure the national tournament’s fourth seed and the right to host the first two rounds.

Since the loss against the Tigers in the Ivy League Championship, the team has rebounded dramatically.

The Crimson first took on the University of New Hampshire in the tournament. After giving up two early goals, Harvard proved that it plays its best level of field hockey until the final whistle blows. Spurred by junior forward Sage Piekarski, the Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year, the Crimson responded to the Wildcats’ goals by tallying eight unanswered goals of its own.

After its dominant win in the first round, Harvard took on the University of Connecticut Huskies. Sophomore forward Martha le Huray was able to nab the go-ahead goal for the home team. The Crimson’s defense, backed by freshman Linde Burger in net and anchored by two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Bronte-May Brough, then kept the Huskies to just two second-half shots. By imposing aggressive coverage in the midfield, Harvard’s renowned defense has become adept at stifling high-scoring offenses by forcing turnovers on transitions.

UConn was unable to break through the Crimson’s defensive line and close the deficit.

With the win, Burger earned her ninth shutout of the season, sending the team to the Final Four to face off against its rival.

Every Ivy League championship since 2004 has been won by either Harvard or Princeton. The two programs, accustomed to constant competition for the NCAA tournament qualification, have each had incredible success this season.

The Tigers are entering the semifinal match on a 13-game win streak, fueled by senior Beth Yeager, a member of the 2024 United States Olympic Field Hockey Team. This year, Yeager earned the title of Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player, as well as Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year, the latter of which she shares with Harvard’s Piekarski. The senior leads her teams in goals, with 14, as well as points, with 38. Paired with the Tigers’ defense, which ranks fourth nationally in goals-against average, Yeager’s offensive prowess makes Princeton a dangerous opponent.

Meanwhile, under Head Coach Tjerk van Herwaarden, now a four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, the Crimson has also proven itself as a formidable program.

Harvard’s defense is currently tied for first in goals allowed, having only allowed opponents to score 14. Additionally, the team ranks second in goals-against average and fifth in shutouts per game. Burger, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, also currently leads the nation in goalkeepers’ winning percentage.

Notably, Harvard’s defensive players can also score, making them dynamic threats every time they cause turnovers. Brough, for example, has recorded 26 goals and 65 points during her collegiate career. Those are incredible numbers for a player who also anchors a backline that has given up multiple goals in a single contest only three times this year.

Kitty Chapple, one of the team’s captains, midfielders, and a four-time All-Ivy honoree, has also been a critical player for Harvard. The Somerset, U.K., native has been crucial on both the defensive and offensive fronts for the Crimson. Chapple is an expert on the transition, as she can weave the ball deftly through masses of defenders and also has a selfless eye for teammates who are open upfield.

Harvard has incredible offensive depth. Three of the Crimson’s players, Piekarski, le Huray, and junior Lara Beekhuis, have all scored more than 10 goals this season.

Piekarski has a knack for rebounds, often using her speed to rush toward goalkeepers and pounce on loose balls. Le Huray, is excellent at inserting corners and is strong on her stick, frequently forcing turnovers in the offensive circle, then deftly firing the ball home. Beekhuis, who was just awarded the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete honor for having the highest cumulative GPA out of all the athletes in the Final Four, is renowned for her blistering shot, which she often effortlessly rips from the top of the circle.

Harvard enters the match with an 8-1 record against ranked opponents and a 10-1 record against RPI top-20 teams. The Crimson is prepared to take on the Tigers for the third time this season.

The matchup between the two stellar Ancient Eight programs will not be one to miss.

If you are a fan who could not make it to Duke University to watch the Final Four, tune in at noon on ESPN+ to watch the Harvard Crimson take on the Princeton Tigers in an attempt to advance to the NCAA Championship Game.

— Staff writer Isabel Smail can be reached at isabelsmail@thecrimson.com.