Harvard Women’s Soccer Tames Princeton’s Late Offensive Barrage In Ivy Opener

While Princeton celebrated its annual Youth Day during its first Ivy League opener, the rookies on the Harvard women’s soccer team kickstarted the scoring on Sunday afternoon as the Nor’easter crept across New Jersey.

With the help of two classmates, freshman forward Brooke Huleatt notched her first conference goal before going on to assist both goals of captain Ólöf Kristinsdóttir’s brace. The offensive duo entered the match as the Crimson’s (7-2-1, 1-0 Ivy League) leading goal scorers with six apiece.

Though the Tigers (4-4-1, 0-1) equalized the game at a pair of deuces by halftime, senior midfielder Jasmine Leshnick converted a tightly angled free kick late in the second half to secure Harvard’s 4-3 victory.

Princeton, which placed first in the Ivy League preseason poll, proved to be quite the test by snapping the Crimson’s three-game shutout streak. The Tigers, the reigning regular-season champions and tournament runner-ups, entered on a three-game undefeated run and ranked in the top half of the conference in scoring.

The teams have clashed twice in Ivy Tournament matches in the past three seasons, exchanging semifinal victories in 2023 and 2024.

With its Sunday victory, Harvard maintained its eight-game undefeated streak and six-game win streak.

“We wanted to use all the momentum that we have. Princeton, being the current Ivy League champions, we knew it was going to be a tough task,” Harvard head coach Chris Hamblin said. “Even though they’ve had a couple of results where they probably would have wanted better outcomes, we knew they’re a very good team.”

“I was so incredibly proud of the fight that we put out today to get two goals up,” he added. “It could’ve easily been a situation where Princeton went on to take the game, but our team showed incredible resilience and fight to get that in front and play on at the end in that difficult position.”

Harvard pummeled the Tigers’ net early on. The Princeton goalkeeper was forced off her line to collect a cross. Huleatt then won a corner on the wings, and Leshnick’s first free kick attempt went over the crossbar.

Though the Tigers forced sophomore goalie Nicole Bidun to step off her line to collect a ball on a counterattack, the hosts seemed sluggish to start and struggled to maintain possession.

Sophomore midfielder Elsa Santos López led the Crimson’s defensive recovery in the midfield by winning several tackles, while senior Amy König and sophomore Danicka Miller, both centerbacks, made several interceptions from the back line.

Harvard struck first 21 minutes into the half, with all three rookies on the field combining for the goal.

After cycling possession back to Bidun, freshman midfielder Camila Reinaldo advanced through the midfield and located fellow freshman Lou Ruffien in the center. Huleatt collected the ball from Ruffien on the left wing and converted a rocket fired toward the bottom of the near post.

Huleatt scratched her name on the stat sheet again just six minutes later. She whipped a long cross from nearly midfield to Kristinsdóttir, who chested it down to her feet and volleyed it past Princeton’s goalie to put Harvard ahead 2-0.

“There are not many strikers that can bring a ball and finish with their weak foot at the top of the box,” Hamblin said, praising the play.

“They’ve been showing that already week in, week out across the board,” he added about Huleatt and Kristinsdóttir. “Really happy that they could get some chances for us today and help us get that win.”

The Crimson started the half by outshooting its opponent with six shots and three on target to two and one, respectively.

Three minutes later, though, Princeton spoiled Harvard’s clean sheet.

After intercepting an aerial ball, sophomore forward Nina Cantor worked down the left wing before driving toward the box. Cantor located her teammate, sophomore midfielder Maddie Recupero, in the box, who fired a shot across the box to the top left, securing the home team’s first goal.

Though struggling to build possession upfield, the Tigers quickly pounced again on the counterattack. Cantor tallied her second assist of the game, crossing the ball down the same left wing to freshman forward Stella Monberg, who was ready at the near post to even the score.

“One goal goes in and changes the energy a little bit. Princeton raised their energy,” Hamblin said. “Something we’re going to look at this week is doing a better job of sticking to our DNA of who we are, not putting ourselves in a situation where we are losing the ball, not stepping where we need to, and the technique to bounce back and connect.”

The pressure continued to ramp up on Harvard heading into the half, as Recupero found herself in front of the net to receive a cross, but her ensuing shot soared wide.

The teams rotated their goalies for the second half, which both sides have consistently done throughout their respective non-conference slates. The Crimson’s freshman goalie Olivia Busby was kept busy almost immediately in the second frame.

Princeton created two early chances as it found its way past Harvard’s backline via runs and a through ball. By then, the Tigers had matched the visitor’s eight shots, four of which were on target.

Princeton continued to stretch the Crimson’s shape and spent more time in offensive territory, finding space down the wings and working to break through several times. After Busby was forced to meet an attacker on the right post, the home team’s biggest chance was blocked by a clutch goal-line clearance by König and Miller in the 60th minute.

Harvard then had its chance to capitalize on the counterattack. Kristinsdóttir passed to Huleatt on the left wing, but the rookie’s chop inside failed to find space. The Rifton, N.Y. native then whipped a cross from just outside the box, and Kristinsdóttir again met the ball in the air — this time with a header — at the back right post to reclaim the Crimson’s lead.

Huleatt, working again on the left wing, drew a foul off a pass from Leshnick. On the free kick, Leshnick snaked the ball through several teammates and opposing defenders on a narrow angle to the back post to extend the Crimson’s lead to 4-2.

Princeton did not stay quiet for long, converting on its following offensive possession. Kantor secured her third assist of the game, having enough time to cross the ball to Monberg, who blasted a header of her own to secure a brace.

As the rain from the Nor’easter slowly intensified through the match’s end, so did the Tigers’ momentum.

Harvard retreated its forwards to help win clearances, leaving only freshman forward Molly Vana up front to press Princeton’s backline.

Busby was forced to step up from her line several times to meet through balls, finishing the game with four saves as the Tigers outshot Harvard six to two to close the game.

“One of the things we said from day one in the season was we want to score a little more than the opposition. Obviously we love clean sheets, and we’ve certainly had some entertaining games this year,” Hamblin said. “When the game is winding down, we want to make some good choices. We’ve had some really good moments today in that last section.”

“But we’ve got to look back on the film and be aware of what to clean up. Princeton had a couple of chances at the end that probably could’ve been avoided,” the coach added.

The Crimson will welcome Cornell (4-3-2, 1-0) on its odyssey from Ithaca, N.Y., to Jordan Field next Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT. Seeking its first-ever Ivy League tournament appearance, the Big Red kickstarted its conference campaign with a 1-0 win over Yale on Saturday.

“The results in the Ivy League today show how open the door is. Cornell is going to be coming in 1-0 in the Ivy League, and they’ve always been a very organized team that we’ve got to prepare for,” Hamblin said. “There are a lot of goals being scored in this league right now, so it’s going to be very exciting. We’re going to recover, rest up, and then get back to the rest of this week and prepare for Cornell and our alumni weekend.”

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