Harvard Women’s Soccer Diffuses Late Northeastern Surge in 1-0 Victory

Harvard women’s soccer suffocated Northeastern University in its best defensive performance in two years, holding the visitors to just three shots during the very limited time that the Huskies had in their offensive half.

The Crimson last allowed as few shots in a 1-0 victory against Boston University in September 2024.

Harvard (4-2-1) returned to Jordan Field after an undefeated three-game road trip, capped by an offensive explosion where it scored six goals against then-No. 6 University of Alabama in a 10-goal thriller.

The Crimson’s offensive contributors haven’t gone unnoticed. Captain forward Ólöf Kristinsdóttir and senior midfielder Jasmine Leshnick have successively won Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors, and Kristinsdóttir was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Women’s Team of the Week.

The same offensive firepower carried into its 1-0 victory on Thursday, as Harvard fired off 23 shots — nine of which hit their target — on the Huskies’ net.

“After a big weekend against Alabama, the question was how are we going to show up today. I was really proud of the team. We showed up. We competed,” head coach Chris Hamblin said. “Where we struggled a little bit was a little bit of quality in the final third. We had a lot of possession, a lot of chances.”

“Fair play to Northeastern. They were very organized, tough to break down, and had a lot of players behind the ball, so they made it difficult,” the coach added. “We were able to get one in, but that second goal would have really opened up the game and made them come out. They were comfortable staying pretty deep until the very end and trying to catch us late, so it made it into a much more difficult game than we probably would have liked.”

While sophomore goalie Nicole Bidun recorded the Crimson’s only save in the game, the Huskies’ goalie Eliza Teplow found herself with her hands full — recording a total of eight saves.

Freshman forward Brooke Huleatt, who scored two goals against the Crimson Tide on Sunday, led Harvard’s onslaught against the Huskies and landed five of her six shots on target.

Notably, it was the freshman’s lone assist that helped land Harvard on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the first half.

The home team’s defensive strength was rooted in its central midfield unit, anchored by captain Írena Héðinsdóttir Gonzalez, freshman Lou Ruffien, and sophomore Elsa Santos López — one of two players to play the entire match for Harvard. The trio consistently diffused Northeastern’s attempted counterattacks, tracking back to win possession and redistributing the ball to the wings, where the Crimson has thrived this season.

“It was our ability to keep the ball and press. A lot of it was also their tactics they set up not to high press us, and so we were comfortable having the ball,” Hamblin said. “When we lost it, we did a good job of chasing it down and winning it back. Individual defending, collective defending was very, very good tonight.”

“Any time you can keep a team to three shots, one on target, you’re going to put yourself in a position to get the result if you can find the back of the net,” he added.

The host’s defensive pressure paid off.

Leshnick won the ball in midfield before passing it to Ruffien, who made a run down the right wing past several Husky defenders. The rookie played a cross-field pass to Huleatt on the opposite wing.

Though her shot ricocheted off the woodwork, the ball eventually landed at the foot of Kristinsdóttir, who scored for the third straight game, tallying her fifth of the season.

The rest of the half reflected the same high-pressure momentum inflicted by Harvard onto Northeastern’s backline. Ample time to build possession through its defensive half allowed the Crimson to locate its forwards in prime positions — including a one-on-one opportunity for Huleatt that ultimately saved.

Harvard ended the half with its biggest scoring opportunity since its goal, with sophomore forward Kennedy Belfon drawing a foul just outside the box after driving inwards from the wing.

Though the ensuing free kick soared over the crossbar, the Crimson finished the first half with five shots on target, outshooting Northeastern 13-1.

Harvard maintained its characteristic full-field press, spurred predominantly by captain forward Anna Rayhill and Huleatt on the wings early in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Huskies blitzed a streak of scoring chances. An over-the-top ball found ample time for a cross into the box, forcing Bidun to advance well off her line to catch the ball.

On the offensive wings, Huleatt intercepted the ball to dart through several defenders, but her eventual run was halted by a Northeastern foul. Despite Leshnick attempting to curve the ball into the net, Teplow swiftly caught the shot along the right post, preventing the Crimson from extending its lead.

Harvard drew two additional set-piece chances throughout the second half — finishing with four free kick opportunities just outside the penalty box — as the Huskies sought to slow down any dangerous attacks in promising territory.

“We got a lot of players that have a lot of ability, and I don’t think we necessarily executed as well as we’d like to in some of those,” Hamblin said. “We had a couple of really good moments on our set pieces today that we were just a degree off.”

Despite five defenders obstructing the path toward goal, junior Northeastern striker Claire Murray put a dangerous ball into the box that dribbled to Harvard’s left post. Luckily for the home fans, Bidun gained possession after bobbling the cross outside of the left post.

“I think they came out with a little more punch to them,” Hamblin said. “They knew that they needed to get back in the game, and I don’t think we were able to keep the ball as effectively as we’d like to in the first 10 minutes of the second half.”

Two key disciplinary moments against Harvard late in the second half gave Northeastern its best opportunities to strike back. Though Ruffien’s tenacity on the wings was critical to Harvard keeping Northeastern’s attacks at bay, she stepped into the run of sophomore Jannah Pierce in the midfield — leading to the only yellow card of the game and her second of the season.

With ten minutes remaining in the second half, senior defender Amy König was called for a foul just outside of Harvard’s penalty box. Though the eventual free kick was blocked by the Crimson’s defensive wall, the moment appeared to fuel Northeastern.

Harvard tried to drain the clock in the top right corner of the pitch, but the Huskies continued to work down their own offensive right wing — forcing Bidun to step up and clear inswinging passes.

For its final chance of the game, Northeastern secured a free kick deep on the right wing, though the ensuing defensive scuffle eventually enabled Huleatt to mount a counterattack.

“It was easy to have a letdown today after the high at Alabama, and we didn’t do that. We came out firing, we came out competing. I’m so happy that the group competed and were committed to each other today, and the quality is something we’ll continue to work on,” Hamblin said.

Harvard women’s soccer will play its final away game before Ivy League play on Sunday, facing off against the University of New Hampshire (3-2-2) at 2 p.m. EDT. The Wildcats have vied with several of the Crimson’s familiar opponents, having recorded a scoreless draw against Dartmouth, a 1-0 loss to Yale, and a 4-1 win over Northeastern.

“For us now, it’s about getting healthy and recovering and looking forward to playing again. Every time you play, you get a chance to get better,” Hamblin said. “You get a chance to try some new things out, and UNH is going to be a very competitive team.”

“We’re looking forward to that, and then we are very much looking forward to getting a few days off before we play UConn because we’ve played seven games in 22 days,” the coach added.

—Staff writer Uy B. Pham can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at ubp.88. Follow him on X @uybpham.

—Staff writer Leo P. Petropoulos can be reached at [email protected].