No. 4 Field Hockey Falls to No. 19 Yale In Ivy League Semifinals

After steamrolling through its Ancient Eight foes during its regular season campaign, the No. 4 Harvard field hockey team fell to No. 19 Yale in the semifinals of the Ivy League Tournament on Berylson Family Field in Cambridge, Mass.

The Crimson (15-2, 7-0 Ivy League) and the Bulldogs (13-3, 4-3) faced off against each other for the second straight weekend. While Harvard was able to clinch its outright regular season title with its overtime win over its historic rival on Halloween, Yale retaliated with a playoff win on Friday, clinching a spot in the Ivy League Tournament Championship Game.

The match, originally scheduled for 11:30 a.m., was delayed due to thunderstorms. The stormy weather signaled that an upset was brewing in Cambridge.

At 12:45, the two teams finally clashed.

While neither side could convert in the opening quarter, Yale seemed to get an early jump on Harvard, generating multiple dangerous offensive opportunities. The Bulldogs charged into the circle, drawing three penalty corners in the first frame – calls that outraged the Crimson fans who braved the rainy conditions.

Harvard’s defensive line, backed by sophomore Linde Burger, an All-Ivy First Teamer, in the net, swiftly diffused Yale’s attempts, clearing the ball out of the circle.

That said, the Crimson uncharacteristically had a hard time transitioning the ball upfield. The slick conditions likely played a role, but Harvard’s offensive rush, which usually ignites its scoring, struggled as the team failed to connect on many of its forward passes. Instead of finding the sticks of the forwards who charged up the field, the Crimson repeatedly over- or under-shot its stretch passes, putting the ball back into the Bulldogs’ possession.

Despite the struggle, Harvard’s offense mounted a few valiant attempts in the second quarter, including its first two penalty corners. However, Yale’s defense stood firm, refusing to allow the host to take an early lead.

The Crimson outshot the Bulldogs 4-1 in the second quarter, forcing Yale’s sophomore goaltender Amelie Schwarzkopf, the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, to heat up in net to keep her team in contention.

After forcing a turnover in its defensive end, the Bulldogs pushed up the pitch and responded with a corner of their own. Junior Issy Baileff executed the ensuing shot, firing it past Harvard’s defenders to help Yale take a 1-0 lead.

Although the Crimson made its best effort to equalize, the visiting team protected its lead heading into the halftime break.

In the third quarter, Harvard, striving to come back like it did last weekend against the Bulldogs, was unrelenting in its pressure. Its offense, spurred by senior forward Sage Piekarski — the 2026 Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year — peppered Schwarzkopf with shots, keeping the goaltender on her toes.

The Crimson was unable to slip one past the goaltender, so the teams continued to trade offensive chances.

Then, with less than two minutes left in the third, Yale found the back of the cage again, extending its lead to 2-0.

Harvard, faced with a two-goal deficit, proved why it’s ranked as a top-five program in the final frame, finally playing like the team that swept the conference during the regular season.

Sophomore forward Lucy Barker carried the ball toward the circle, drawing a corner on the way to the net.

Junior midfielder Martha le Huray inserted the ball, and captain Lara Beekhuis sent a ripper slamming into the back of the cage, narrowing the score to 2-1.

The Laren, Netherlands native has been a dominant force for Harvard all season, particularly from the top of the circle, and has now recorded nine goals and 21 points this season.

Beekhuis’s goal sparked the Crimson’s offense and fierce determination, as the team fought for a goal that would help keep its conference tournament title hopes alive.

Yale, however, stood its ground, cramming its defenders into the circle to block Harvard’s entries. To the Crimson’s dismay, the Bulldogs nabbed the 2-1 upset and secured their spot in the championship game, where they will face No. 9 Princeton. In the other semifinal game, the Tigers defeated the Cornell Big Red in a 1-0 nail-biter.

Despite the loss, Harvard’s season is likely not over. With its dominant 15-2 record, which includes wins over top-ranked programs, the Crimson has a strong resume for an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Harvard has become a staple in the NCAA Tournament, having made consecutive appearances since 2023. Last season, the team similarly fell in the Ivy League Tournament before earning an at-large bid to the national bracket, where it advanced to the Final Four.

This year, the Crimson will tune in to the NCAA Tournament selection show on Nov. 8 at 10 p.m. EST as it hopes to vie for a national championship.

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