efore she laced up her boots for the NWSL’s newest expansion side, Boston Legacy FC, Josefine “Josie” Hasbo ’25 could often be found in another locker room across the Charles River.

For the former Harvard women’s soccer captain, the Crimson locker room was more than a place to change before matches or recover after practice on Jordan Field.

“[The locker room is] a symbol of the connections that I’ve made, the diversity we’ve had,” Hasbo said, “and also just a symbol of dreams and aspirations.”

Those dreams have always carried Hasbo: from grassroots soccer in Denmark, to collegiate soccer at Harvard, to the world’s biggest stage at the World Cup, and now, to the National Women’s Soccer League.

Through every stage of her career, one variable has remained constant – Hasbo thrives in demanding environments.

Hasbo, a key member of the 2023 Ivy League championship-winning squad, began her playing career in her native Denmark at a young age. Moving up the ranks from her local club at just age 12, Hasbo commuted alone for hours each day for the opportunity to play at a higher level.

She now sees discomfort as a crucial factor for her development and growth as a player.

“It’s really important that you put yourself into environments that push you, that you are playing with teammates that are better than you,” Hasbo explained. “You don’t want to be the best.”

With this mentality, she signed with Danish giants Brøndby IF in the summer of 2018, then competed in the semi-professional Gjensidige league, the top flight of Danish women’s soccer. During her three-year stint at Brøndby, the side claimed the league championship and went on consecutive runs into the UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout stages.

Hasbo also represented Denmark at various youth levels before making Danish soccer history as one of the youngest athletes ever to play for the senior national team, at age 18 in 2020. Her performances earned her a nomination for Danish Female Footballer of the Year, where she finished as a finalist.

However, in 2021, rather than remain in the traditional European soccer system, she began the next phase of her career and moved over 3,000 miles across the Atlantic to don a Crimson jersey.

The appeal of the American college athletics system played a major role in her departure from Europe, as she was enticed by the opportunity to pursue athletics and academics simultaneously without compromising either.

“It’s not necessarily a model we have in Denmark, and for me, as an individual, it’s really important to have a holistic identity,” Hasbo explained.

Hasbo stayed true to her holistic mindset and graduated with a double concentration in Economics and Psychology, balancing academics with college soccer and international duties. At times, call-ups from the Danish women’s national team kept her off campus for up to a third of the semester.

“I had to ask myself the question: why is there not more than 24 hours in a day?” Hasbo said. “Academics and athletics come first, and just having to balance those two things was challenging, but also, I think, very rewarding.”

During her 4,367-minute Harvard tenure, Hasbo became one of the Crimson’s most decorated players, racking up 25 goals and 17 assists, ranking ninth all-time in career points and goals, and 13th in all-time assists. In the 2023 season, she famously scored a hat trick against the Columbia Lions to secure the Crimson to its first Ivy League title in seven years.

She credits her academic experience as part of what helped her succeed on the pitch.

“Studying at Harvard teaches you how to think and approach a craft, and dive into something, and focus on something, and dedicate your time,” she said. “I also think that has set me up very well, that I’ve been in that situation, that I know that I had to solve it, and you realize that if you’re proactive and you ask for help, you usually come out on the other end in a good place.”

During her sophomore summer, rather than pursuing an internship like most of her classmates, she competed for her country at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Her appearance made history as she became the first Harvard player to participate in the prestigious tournament. She was also the only non-professional player on the Danish squad, and featured in all four matches for the team before being eliminated in the knockout stages by host nation Australia.

“That was a big milestone. We had a great tournament, looking back now,” Hasbo said. “[It’s] just amazing to be part of such a tournament where you feel both the momentum of women’s soccer, but also very much the honor of representing your country.”

For Hasbo, the World Cup was a prime example of what the sport has given her beyond the pitch.

“I think [the World Cup] also speaks a lot to just the doorway that football has been for me,” Hasbo said. “I’ve been really privileged to have football almost as my doorway to explore different countries, different continents, different people.”

Apart from improvements on the pitch, competing on the sport’s biggest stage also accelerated her maturity as a player and person.

“I’ve matured a lot, and you do mature when you are in a tournament with that magnitude,” Hasbo said. “The fact that there’s so much investment into it, there are so many eyes on you, and the pressure you have to deal with, the expectations you have to deal with from the outward world, but also within yourself. I just feel very lucky that I’ve gotten to have those moments in my career so far.”

Following her four standout seasons with the Crimson, Hasbo faced another uncomfortable decision: where to begin her full-time career in the sport she loves so dearly.

“One of the biggest questions for me was whether or not I wanted to stay in the U.S. or I wanted to get closer to my family back in Europe,” Hasbo reflected. “However, I believe very much in the NWSL. I think that the NWSL has great momentum. The fan base is extraordinary, you feel that you are taken seriously as an athlete, the facilities are getting better, you’re playing at proper football pitches.”

On June 10, 2025, a mere twelve days after commencement, she officially moved to the professional stage, joining the NWSL’s New York-based Gotham FC. Her class marked the first year after the league removed the draft system, allowing college graduates to enter free agency directly.

“This means that you own your own rights, and you’re not randomly placed at a place you may not want to end up or live,” Hasbo said.

In the NWSL, Hasbo noticed a jump from college soccer to the professional game.

“There are some similarities, but there’s definitely a step up,” Hasbo said. “You do get paid to play; there’s a different type of media attention.”

“There is more experience in the NWSL, so ultimately there are some things in the league that are quicker, that require more tactical flexibility,” Hasbo added. “You play against players, and you also play with players who are more experienced, and this is some of the stuff you have to adapt to.”

Nevertheless, she believes her experience with the Crimson and the Danish national team prepared her well for that transition.

“I had a pretty solid experience with Harvard soccer and with the Danish national team that set me up for being successful in a league that is also transitional, because the athleticism that you do gain from college soccer is something that is transferable to the NWSL,” she said.

In Hasbo’s rookie season, the Gotham club won the NWSL Championship after entering the playoffs as the eighth seed, as well as the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. Hasbo was subsequently included in Gotham’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup squad before her trade to Boston Legacy FC.

Hasbo’s contributions to soccer also extend beyond the professional realm. She serves with Sport Creates Memories, an organization that aims to develop grassroots soccer on the African continent. With more than 17,000 participants across its programs, the organization distributes equipment and coordinates infrastructure for children who want to play soccer.

She participates in the program because it aligns with her belief in soccer’s ability to create opportunities.

“I think it creates a lot of meaning to why I play football myself,” Hasbo said. “I believe very much that I’m only here because this system that I’ve been in has given me those opportunities. For me, football is a doorway to opportunities, and this is what I want to pay forward.”

Now in her second season in the NWSL, Hasbo has returned to the city where that doorway opened wider. After being traded to Boston Legacy FC, the league’s newest team, she has appeared in all 10 of the expansion side’s fixtures as of May 21, 2026, with her main goal of the season being to simply “enjoy the game.”

This move brings Hasbo back to a city that influenced both her athletic and academic identity.

“When I moved from Denmark to the U.S., it was not comfortable at first, but the growth that I have achieved from putting myself in those situations has been very, very rewarding, and something I’m very grateful for,” Hasbo said.

“Boston feels like my second home. I’m very happy with my decision,” Hasbo said. “It was very, very appealing for me to come back and contribute to the city, and fight for the city, and fight for the crest here in Boston.”

—Staff writer Jason Deng can be reached at [email protected].