CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the first time since 2014, the Harvard women's soccer team will host an NCAA Tournament game at Jordan Field. The sixth-seeded Crimson (11-1-3, 5-0-2 Ivy) will take on the New Hampshire Wildcats (9-5-3, 5-1-2 AEC) in the round of 64 this Saturday at Jordan Field at 5:00 PM EST.
Led by the Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Soccer,
Chris Hamblin, the Crimson will make appearance no. 18 in the NCAA Tournament and for the second straight season. The contest is also the first time Harvard has hosted a tournament game since 2014.
All game day information can be viewed in Harvard's Game Day Central webpage.
Context of the Contest
- This will be the first matchup between the Crimson and the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament.
- Harvard owns a 23-3-3 record against UNH and is 12-2-2 against the Wildcats on home turf.
- This is the first back-to-back tournament appearance for Harvard since 2013-14.
- Harvard is 6-2 in the NCAA Tournament when playing at home, the team's last game was a 6-0 win over Central Connecticut State.
Scouting UNH
- The Wildcats won the 2022 America East Tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAAs by winning a penalty kick shootout at Binghamton.
- This is UNH's second NCAA Tournament appearance as the Wildcats received the automatic bid by winning their first ever America East title in 2014 and played UConn in the First Round on Nov. 15, 2014, falling 2-0, in Storrs, Conn.
- The Wildcats ranked fourth in the America East in goals (30) and points (84).
- UNH held its opponents to 1.12 goals per game but surrendered nearly 11 shots per game on the defensive end of the field.
Harvard Women's Soccer Regular Season Noteables
- Fifth-best scoring offense in the nation at 2.87 goals per game.
- Finished No. 2 in the nation with 2.93 assists per game.
- Finished No. 2 in the nation with 8.97 points per game.
- Finished No. 2 in the nation with 9.67 shots on goal per game.
- Posted the ninth-best win-loss percentage in the country at .833 mark.
- It's 44 assists were 15th most in the nation.
- Scored 43 goals which is currently the tenth most for a team in program history and most since 1996.
- Scored three or more goals in eight games for the second straight season.
- Scored four or more goals in five games for the first time since 1999.
- Scored five or more goals in three games for the first time since 2014.
- Posted the best winning percentage since 1999 (.906).
- Jade Rose earned the Ivy League's Defensive Player of the Year Award earlier this week.
- Rose was also named First-Team All-Ivy League along with teammates Hannah Bebar and Sophie Hirst.
- Josefine Hasbo and Ainsley Ahmadian landed on the All-Ivy Second Team while Hannah Griffin earned an Honorable Mention from the League.
The Bracket
- Harvard was one of 32 seeded teams in the nation.
- The No. 6 Crimson and unseeded Wildcats will compete for a spot in the round of 32.
- The winner of the contest will advance to play the winner of No. 3 South Caroline and Wake Forest.
- The other seeded teams in the Crimson's region are as followed:
- No. 1 Alabama
- No. 2 Duke
- No. 3 South Carolina
- No. 4 Southern California
- No. 5 Rutgers
- No. 6 Harvard
- No. 7 Texas
- No. 8 Portland
The 2022 College Cup
This 41st annual NCAA Women's College Cup will be played on Dec. 2 and 5 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC hosted by the University of North Carolina and Town of Cary. The first national semifinal will be Friday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. (EST), followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m. (EST) live on ESPNU. The national championship match will take place Monday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. (EST) and will also broadcast live on ESPNU.
