No. 3 Field Hockey Opens Season With Wins Over UMass Lowell and No. 10 UConn

Striving for redemption after its devastating loss in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament last year, the Harvard field hockey team returned to the pitch this past weekend with a vengeance. The Crimson paired an offensive onslaught against UMass Lowell with a defensive masterclass against No. 10 UConn to kickstart its 2026 campaign in style.

After cruising past the River Hawks with a 5-1 win on Friday, the Crimson (2-0) faced a much tighter test on Sunday afternoon. Locked in a scoreless battle with the Huskies through three quarters, captain Lara Beekhuis finally broke the deadlock just four minutes into the final frame, firing the game-winner off a penalty corner to secure a 1-0 victory.

With the two wins, Harvard not only extended its regular-season undefeated streak to 21 games, but climbed to the top of the Ancient Eight’s standings. However, No. 4 Princeton, the Crimson’s biggest rival, lurks just one spot behind in both conference and national rankings. On Sunday afternoon, the Tigers lost in a dramatic shootout to No. 5 University of North Carolina, where Harvard’s former goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo ’26 plays as a graduate transfer.

Harvard 5, UMass Lowell 1

The Crimson enjoyed beautiful early-fall weather on Berylson Field as it opened its season with a dominant win over UMass Lowell (1-3).

Although nobody was able to score in the first quarter, the Harvard team quickly brushed off the rust and ramped up the pace of play. The Crimson pinned the River Hawks deep in their defensive territory, while peppering their goalkeeper with shots.

Sophomore forward Lucy Barker was the first to break through UMass Lowell’s defensive line, igniting Harvard’s scoring streak.

Junior captain Tilly Butterworth and senior forward and 2025 Second Team All-American Sage Piekarski quickly followed Barker’s lead, tallying quick goals of their own to put the Crimson ahead 3-0.

Suddenly boasting a large advantage, head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden was able to rotate players into the game, trying different combinations of players at forward and on defense. Van Herwaarden was recently named The Ragatz Family Harvard Coach of Excellence by the Athletic Department for the third time during his tenure with the Crimson.

Thanks to Harvard’s suffocating pressure, the momentum stayed firmly with the host. In fact, the River Hawks were unable to tally a single shot before the halftime break. The Crimson, meanwhile, had blasted 17 shots towards the net.

Freshman forward Evie Smith – who started both games this weekend – kept the celebrations coming from the Harvard fans that lined the pitch. Junior midfielder and 2025 Third Team All-American Martha le Huray zipped a pass to the rookie, who collected the ball, raced into the circle, evaded defenders, and fired it into the upper corner of the net, notching her first collegiate goal.

UMass Lowell was finally able to respond, slipping a shot past sophomore goalkeeper and 2025 Third Team All-American Linde Burger.

Burger was named the 2025 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, as she started and played in every minute of every game of the Crimson’s historic season. This weekend, the Heerhugowaard, Netherlands, native made four saves against the River Hawks, and only one got past her.

Beekhuis ensured that UMass Lowell would not gain any sort of momentum, as she sent a shot blazing through defenders and slamming into the back of the net. The captain’s first goal of the season punctuated a commanding 5-1 victory over the River Hawks.

Harvard 1, UConn 0

The last time the Crimson and the Huskies faced off in Cambridge was in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. In an almost identical fashion to last November, the two teams competed in a fierce defensive battle, and Harvard scraped out a 1-0 win.

Both sides only registered one shot in the opening quarter, and the defensive lines remained stout.

Although the Crimson outshot the Huskies in the second quarter, 2-1, the stalemate on the scoreboard persisted through the third.

Anchored by Burger in the cage, Harvard’s defense prevented UConn from mounting any serious offensive threat. In fact, Burger was not forced to make a save until the final quarter, an impressive statistic for a defense replacing several key players, including Bronte-May Brough ’26, a four-time All-American.

With just 11 minutes left in regulation, the Crimson finally struck.

Le Huray inserted the ball on a penalty corner, sending it to sophomore midfielder Rosa Kooijmans. The sophomore set the play up perfectly for Beekhuis, who hammered the ensuing shot home.

The captain has tallied two goals in just two games, and this one served as the 12th game-winner of her collegiate career.

Despite a valiant effort, the Huskies could not respond.

Harvard’s defensive unit increased its pressure, suffocating all of UConn’s attempts to even the score, while Burger registered two saves to secure the first shutout of her sophomore campaign.

The victory is Crimson’s fifth straight win over the Huskies and its third consecutive shutout over UConn.

Now, Harvard will shift its sights to another undefeated opponent, No. 12 University of Massachusetts (4-0). Last season, the Crimson beat its in-state foe in a 1-0 nail-biter in Amherst, Mass. This year, Harvard will take the fight to Cambridge, where it will clash with the Minutewomen on Friday afternoon.

After its top-20 match against UMass, the Crimson will host another in-state rival on Sunday afternoon, Boston College (1-3). The Eagles will travel from Chestnut Hill to Berylson Field for a local battle. In order to defend its home pitch, Harvard will have to utilize both the offensive and defensive skills that it displayed this weekend.

— Isabel C. Smail, Sports Chair of the Harvard Crimson, can be reached at [email protected].