No. 5 Harvard Field Hockey Extends Win Streak to Ten, Beats Brown and BU

The No. 5 Harvard field hockey team continued its dominant season this past weekend. The Crimson made the trip down to Providence, R.I., where it tamed the Brown Bears, before returning home to Berylson Field to host the Boston University Terriers. After mounting a second-half surge over the Bears, Harvard (12-1, 5-0 Ivy League) flexed its penalty corner muscles against the Terriers, utilizing its set plays to cruise to a 5-1 win over its crosstown foes.

With the pair of victories, the Crimson has now won 10 consecutive games. Additionally, the Harvard team has not lost to an unranked opponent in 103 straight games, cementing its status as one of the nation’s top field hockey programs.

Harvard 3, Brown 1

Braving the first real chill of the approaching New England winter, the Crimson took on Brown (4-9, 1-4), attempting to uphold its undefeated conference record. The two teams last faced off in the Ivy League Tournament last November, when Harvard hustled for a 2-0 victory to advance to the Championship.

While the Bears had a decent season last year, they have struggled to win Ancient Eight contests this far and have been particularly plagued on the road, going 0-5.

Struggles aside, Brown’s defense held firm in the first half of play on Saturday, preventing the Crimson’s renowned offense from converting. Harvard, to its credit, peppered the Bears’ sophomore goaltender Ellie Parker with shots, but the Andover, Mass., native stood firm in the cage, tallying seven saves.

The Crimson’s transition game was particularly strong, forcing multiple turnovers in the midfield and helping hem the hosts in on defense. In fact, Brown rarely had possession and didn’t launch an attack on net until the second half.

Meanwhile, Harvard’s offense, knowing the Bears were exhausted on defense, drew seven penalty corner opportunities, valiantly trying to puncture the defensive line.

The team was unable to convert on those set-play chances. Instead, the two opponents went into the halftime break locked in a 0-0 tie.

Just two minutes into the third quarter, the Crimson finally scored. Freshman forward Evie Smith charged down the wing, spotting junior forward Emily Bronckers open in the circle. The rookie dished a leading pass to Bronckers, who evaded a defender and Parker with a simple spin move, creating just enough space to fire the ball home.

To Harvard’s shock, Brown responded merely four minutes later on a penalty corner.

The Crimson’s captain, Lara Beekhuis, was undeterred by the Bears’ attack and instead focused on regaining the lead.

The senior forward executed a perfect give-and-go with sophomore midfielder Josephine Carollo and raced her way into the circle. Dancing her way along the top of the circle, Beekhuis then unleashed a blistering shot into the net to reclaim the advantage, 2-1.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, senior forward Sage Piekarski added the dagger for Harvard. Smith, tallying another assist, glided along the back line of the pitch before dropping a pass into the waiting hands of Piekarski. Without hesitating, the senior tapped the ball past Parker, scoring in her fifth straight game and providing the Crimson with a comfortable two-goal cushion.

The Bears were unable to claw their way back, so Harvard secured the 3-1 victory.

Harvard 5, Boston University 1

The Crimson had less than 24 hours to celebrate its win over Brown before returning to game action, as it hosted Boston University (6-8, 3-1 Patriot League) on Sunday afternoon. Although Cambridge was bustling due to the 61st Head of the Charles Regatta, the Harvard team proved to be extremely focused on Berylson Field.

In fact, just three minutes into the match, the Crimson earned its first penalty corner of the afternoon. Junior midfielder Martha le Huray inserted the ball to junior captain Tilly Butterworth. Although Butterworth’s initial shot was saved, a flurry of rebounds in front of the net enabled Piekarski to squeeze the ball over the diving goalkeeper’s shoulder.

Whatever head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden said to his team after its game against Brown clearly was effective, as Harvard scored again on a set penalty corner play just two minutes later.

Senior defender Smila Klas inserted the ball, and it looked at first glance that freshman defender Elin van Sante was going to corral it and set up a shot for Butterworth. However, Klas faked out the fans and the defenders, ripping the ball to Bronckers, who carried it into the circle and hammered it home.

On the Crimson’s third penalty corner of the afternoon, van Sante scored her first collegiate goal. This time, le Huray inserted the ball to Beekhuis, who swept the ball toward the net. Piekarski was waiting for the tip, but seeing she was covered, crossed the ball to van Sante, who was prepared for the shot.

After allowing Harvard to score on three straight penalty corners, the Terriers attempted to lock down their defense within the circle. Although the host had two more penalty corner opportunities in the first quarter, BU’s defensive line worked to keep the score at 3-0.

The Crimson outshot the Terriers 8-1 in the first frame, working the ball consistently around the offensive circle.

Less than a minute into the second quarter, the penalty corner trend continued. Although the ensuing set play was disrupted, Butterworth was still able to take a shot. To BU’s dismay, the shot was deflected by a defender, but still bounced awkwardly over the goalkeeper and into the net, extending Harvard’s lead to 4-0.

At the end of the half, the Crimson had boosted its shot count to 12, while holding the Terriers to one.

Early in the third quarter, BU notched a goal on the scoreboard during a penalty corner of its own. The Terriers appeared to adjust to Harvard’s rapid style of play, and actually tallied three shots on goal during the frame while restraining the host to just two.

In the final quarter, the Crimson capitalized on another penalty corner. Le Huray inserted yet again, and Beekhuis’ fake and ensuing rip proved too fast for BU’s goaltender to track, deflecting off the stick of le Huray and into the back of the net.

The score remained stagnant at 5-1 for the remainder of the quarter, extending Harvard’s win streak to 10 consecutive games. Notably, in their last five meetings, the Crimson has outscored the Terriers 24-2, establishing a clear record of dominance.

Harvard will now compete in another two-game weekend, as it is slated to travel to New York, N.Y., to take on Columbia on Friday night before returning to Cambridge to host Monmouth on Sunday. For a Crimson team looking to secure Ivy League Tournament hosting rights, it is essential to defeat the Lions (8-4, 3-2) on the road this weekend.

Pushback is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ for those who cannot make the road trip.

—Isabel C. Smail is the Sports Chair of The Crimson’s 153rd Guard. She can be reached at [email protected].