CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In one of the great rivalries in all of college field hockey, the 15^th-ranked Harvard field hockey team (11-3, 4-0 Ivy) hits the road to take on rival No. 10 Princeton (10-4, 4-0 Ivy) at Bedford Field on Sunday (Oct. 23) at 12 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Harvard has won four straight games overall and 10 of 11 after earning wins at Dartmouth (W, 3-2) and against Delaware (W, 2-1) this past weekend.
• First-year back Bronte-May Brough was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Brough had another strong weekend in two wins for Harvard, scoring three goals combined against Dartmouth (W, 3-2) and Delaware (W, 2-1). Brough now leads the team in goals (9) and points (19) and is third in the Ivy League in both categories.. This is the second time that Brough has been honored as Defensive Player of the Week by the Ivy League. 
• Senior goalkeeper Ellie Shahbo has been excellent this season, picking up her 48^th and 49^th career wins (most in program history) this past weekend. She now has a 0.85 goals-against average on the season (4th, NCAA), and has a .769 save percentage (12^th, NCAA). Shahbo was one of 38 seniors named to the NFHCA Senior Team this week.
• In a stretch of 36 games dating back to the end of the 2019 season, Harvard has not allowed more than two goals in a game. Harvard is 31-5 in that span, recording 15 shutouts.
• Harvard's defense is off to another strong start in 2022, holding opponents to under a goal per game (.92 goals allowed per contest). The team's .89 goals-against average is third in the nation and tops among Ivy schools.
• Seniors Kiley Allen, Olivia Hoover, and Ellie Shahbo are captaining the Crimson in 2022. All three captains were first-years in 2018 and have compiled a record of 58-11 in three-plus seasons, including a 24-1 record in Ivy games, and a 31-3 mark in home contests.
• Ten different players have recorded a goal for the Crimson so far this season, a group led by first-year back Bronte-May Brough (nine goals, assist) and senior captain Olivia Hoover (four goals, assist).
• Princeton leads the all-time series against Harvard (40-8-2), but the Crimson has won three of the last five regular season meetings dating back to 2016, in a game that has decided the Ivy League title in each of the last five seasons. Last year, on Oct. 23, 2021, in one of the most memorable games in program history, Harvard earned a 2-1 win over Princeton in a penalty shootout at Berylson Field. The win was Harvard's first over Princeton at home in 28 years to the day (Oct. 23, 1993),
• NFHCA All-Americans Ellie Shahbo (second team) and Emily Guckian (third team) return from the 2021 team for Harvard. Shahbo had an incredible season in net for Harvard in 2021, leading the nation in virtually every statistical goalkeeping category. A First Team All-Ivy Honoree, Shahbo had the nation's top goals-against average (0.44) and save percentage (.860) and added 10 shutouts. She finished the year with a record of 15-2. Guckian was one of Harvard's top two-way players, recording a goal and six assists and helping Harvard's defense become one of the top units in the nation. A native of Waybridge, England, Guckian was a NFHCA First Team All-Northeast Region selection and Second Team All-Ivy honoree.
• Harvard is coming off its seventh appearance at the NCAA Tournament and sixth Ivy League title after finishing the 2021 season at 17-2 (7-0 Ivy).
• Returning to play in 2021 after a missed season due to the pandemic, Harvard made the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history, matching a program record for wins on the year. Harvard also beat its highest ranked opponent ever, defeating No. 2 Michigan in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

UP NEXT

Harvard returns home next Saturday (Oct. 29) to take on Cornell in an 11 am contest that will air on ESPN+.