Harvard Field Hockey Secures Undefeated Regular Season, Preps for Ivy League Tournament on Friday

The No. 3 Harvard field hockey team (16-0, 7-0 Ivy) made history yet again on Friday night — becoming the first program in the Ivy League to record a perfect regular season.

To secure its 16th win, the Crimson made its final road trip of the regular season down to New Haven, Conn., where it defeated the No. 16 Yale Bulldogs (12-3, 4-3 Ivy) with a final score of 2-1.

The Crimson now sets its sights on the approaching Ivy League Tournament, which starts on Berylson Field in Cambridge, Mass, on Friday morning.

The game started in a defensive battle between the two rivals. Harvard actually was outshot 3-2 by the Bulldogs in the first quarter, as the Yale team fought to defend its home pitch. However, Yale was unable to get any of its shots on net during the opening 15 minutes. The Crimson was able to fire off one of its shots onto the net, forcing the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, Amelie Schwarzkopf, to make her first save of the game.

After the scoreless opening quarter, Harvard dominated the second quarter, asserting its control over possession of the ball. The Crimson’s stellar defensive line prevented Yale’s offense from making any offensive attempts, keeping the ball in Harvard’s offensive zone by forcing turnovers every time the Bulldogs gained possession. Thanks to its defensive line, Harvard was able to challenge the Yale defenders throughout the entirety of the second quarter.

A few minutes before the halftime break, Harvard finally capitalized. Junior Lara Beekhuis snatched a ball from a fumbling Yale defender. Looking towards the goal, Beekhuis expertly threaded the ball to junior forward Sage Piekarski. Piekarski proceeded to dodge her defender and fire a ball into the back of the cage, giving the Crimson a one-goal lead.

When the whistle blew to signal halftime, Harvard had rebounded on the stat sheet, outshooting the Bulldogs 7-3 by the end of the half. The Crimson successfully prevented the home team from tallying a single shot in the second quarter.

Midway through the third quarter, Harvard added an insurance goal. Sophomore Emily Bronckers zipped a ball across the goal line. Piekarski, the Ivy League’s Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, was positioned in just the right spot in front of the cage. The Concord, Mass., native dove to tap Bronckers’ shot into the back of the net. Piekarski now leads the team in goals, with a total of 12 across the 16 regular-season games.

After Harvard’s second goal, the Bulldogs attempted to ramp up their offensive pressure. However, the Crimson dominated the ball in the midfield. The Harvard team showcased a very confident style of play and also a very high level of field hockey IQ. As the visiting team sent rapid passes flying across the pitch, Yale struggled to mount any real sense of offense in the third quarter.

To kick off the final quarter of regulation play, sophomore Martha le Huray sent a shot flying just outside the left post. Piekarski made another valiant dive in an attempt to tip it into the net, but the ball crossed out of bounds before she could get her stick on it. Regardless, the Crimson started the quarter with serious momentum.

A few minutes later, freshman forward Lucy Barker made a stellar shot on a two-versus-one drive. Although Schwarzkopf was able to block the goal, Barker was able to draw a penalty corner shortly after.

Senior Kate Oliver inserted the ball to captain Kitty Chapple, who lined the ball up perfectly for sophomore midfielder Tilly Butterworth. Butterworth smashed a shot towards the goal cage, but the ball went slightly too wide.

With a minute and five seconds remaining on the game clock, Yale capitalized on a penalty corner of its own. Although the Bulldogs were able to cut the deficit to one goal in the final minute, it was too late to mount a true comeback effort.

The Crimson’s strong defense, led by three-time All-American Bronte-May Brough, prevented Yale from gaining another opportunity. When the final buzzer rang, the scoreboard remained 2-1 in favor of Harvard.

The win marked not only the conclusion of a perfect regular season record, but also the Crimson’s 11th away game victory and its seventh win over a ranked team, which both set new school records.

Harvard opens up its post-season play on Friday, Nov 7, at 11:30 am EST on Berylson Field in Cambridge. As the top seed in the tournament, the Crimson will face off against the fourth seed, No. 19 Brown (10-5, 4-3 Ivy), in the semifinal match.

Harvard has swept the two prior Ivy League Tournaments and will strive for a three-peat on Friday. If the Crimson is successful in the Ancient Eight tournament, it will secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Harvard’s toughest competition in the tournament will likely be No. 5 Princeton (13-3, 6-1 Ivy). This fall, the Tigers handed the reigning NCAA champions, No. 2 Northwestern (16-1, 8-0 Big Ten), their only loss of the regular season in a thrilling 3-2 upset. Princeton will face off against Yale in the other semifinal match on Nov. 7 at 2:30 pm EST.

The Crimson, which has never dropped a game in the Ivy League Tournament, will look to keep its victorious streak alive despite its highly competitive opponents. After such a dominant regular season, Harvard will be aiming for another Ivy League Championship and a deep postseason run.

— Staff writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com.