CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The 15^th-ranked Harvard field hockey team (6-2, 1-0 Ivy) takes a five-game winning streak with it to Philadelphia for a pair of games this weekend. The Crimson will take on Ivy rival Penn (1-7, 0-1 Ivy) on Friday (Sept. 30) at 3 pm on ESPN+, before heading to 10^th-ranked St. Joseph's (6-3) on Sunday (Oct. 2) for a 12 p.m. contest.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Harvard picked up two wins at home last weekend, defeating Columbia last Friday, 3-1, in its Ivy opener, before recording its fourth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over Boston University on Sunday. Emily Guckian, Bronte-May Brough, and Kate Oliver scored for the Crimson against the Lions on Friday, as Harvard held Columbia without a shot through the first three quarters of the game. On Sunday, Olivia Hoover, Mazarine Broze, and Siofra Murdoch scored, and goalkeeper Ellie Shahbo made two saves to earn her 19th career shutout.
• In a stretch of 30 games dating back to the end of the 2019 season, Harvard has not allowed more than two goals in a game. Harvard is 26-4 in that span, recording 14 shutouts.
• Harvard has recorded a 21-1 record in Ivy games dating back to the start of the 2018 season, a span that includes Ivy League titles in 2018 and 2021.
• Harvard's defense is off to another strong start in 2022, holding opponents to under a goal per game (.875 goals allowed per contest. It's .84 goals-against average is fourth in the nation and tops among Ivy schools.
• First-year back Bronte-May Brough was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Brough had an impact in all three Harvard wins last week. She scored the opening goal in Harvard's 2-0 shutout win over Northeastern, leading a defensive effort that held Northeastern without a shot through three quarters of the game. She added another penalty corner goal in Harvard's 3-1 win over Columbia on Friday, and notched an assist in another shutout effort, a 3-0 win over BU on Sunday.
• Harvard leads the all-time series against Penn, 24-17-2, winning the last five meetings between the two teams, a streak that began in 2016. Last year on Oct. 2, 2021, Mazarine Broze had a goal and an assist to lead Harvard to a comeback 3-1 win over Penn at Berylson Field.
• Harvard and St. Joseph's have never met in field hockey, but there is one notable connection between the two squads. St. Joseph's assistant coach Alexa Hoover is the older sister of Harvard senior captain Olivia Hoover.
• This weekend will mark a homecoming for senior captains Kiley Allen (Berwyn, PA), and Olivia Hoover (Collegeville, PA), who both hail from the Philadelphia area.
• Seniors Kiley Allen, Olivia Hoover, and Ellie Shahbo will captain the Crimson in 2022. All three captains were first-years in 2018 and have compiled a record of 53-10 in three-plus seasons, including a 21-1 record in Ivy games, and a 27-3 mark in home contests.
• NFHCA All-Americans Ellie Shahbo (second team) and Emily Guckian (third team) return 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 weekend for a pair of games, continuing Ivy League play next Friday night (Oct 7, 7 p.m.) against Yale before taking on UMass-Lowell on Sunday (Oct. 9, 1 p.m.). Both games will air on ESPN+.