CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The undefeated Harvard women's soccer team will look to continue its strong open to the 2022 season this week when it returns home to host Long Beach State on Thursday night at 7:00 PM on Jordan Field. This will be the first ever meeting between the Beach and the Crimson.
 
Harvard will then have a few days to prepare for in-state rival Massachusetts, who are set to come to Jordan Field for a match on Sunday, Sep. 11 at 1:00 PM. The women's soccer program will also celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Title IX during the contest and will hold a free clinic on the field following the action.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Harvard enters the game with a 4-0-0 record and are one of only 10 undefeated teams remaining in Division I
• This is the first time the program is 4-0-0 since the 1996 season
• Ainsley Ahmadian and Audrey Fracois earned the Ivy League's Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week awards yesterday (Sep. 4)
• Ahmadian was also named to National Team's of the Week by Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News
• Ahmadian scored four goals over the three-game stretch, including two in the win over NC State
• The sophomore, Ahmadian, also netted the game-winners in each contest, the first time a student-athlete has scored the GWG in three consecutive games since at least 2009
• Ahmadian now ranks second in game winning goals (three), second in goals per game (1.33) and third in points per game (2.67) nationally.
• The Crimson is outscoring opponents 12-2 and outshooting them 59-23
• The program is now undefeated in its last 37 contests in which it scores three or more goals (36-0-1) dating back to 2011
• Hannah Bebar has recorded one assist in every game this season, the first time a HWS student-athlete has done that since 2012 (Peyton Johnson)
• Bebar's 1.0 assist per game and four total assists rank fourth and 12^th in the nation   
• Smith Hunter leads the team in minutes played with 289' logged on the pitch from the backline
• Goalkeeper Hannah Gardner is one of only eight goalies in the nation to hold a perfect (1.000) save percentage after two starts
• Harvard leads the Ivy League in goals (12), assists (10), points (34) and margin (+10)
• This will be the first meeting the Crimson and the Beach
• This will be the 30th meeting all-time between the Crimson and Minutewomen
• Harvard is 6-3-1 in its past ten matches against UMass, but still trails in the all-time series, 12-15-2
• Aslaug Gunnlaugsdottir (Iceland), Josefine Hasbo (Denmark) and Jade Rose (Canada) were all called up to their respective national teams this past month and will travel to compete internationally in select FIFA/ World Cup qualifying matches

UP NEXT

Following Harvard's two-game homestand, the team will travel to Fort Worth, Texas for it's final tune-up before Ivy League play begins on Oct. 1. The Crimson will take on the nationally ranked Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University on Sep. 24 at 8:00 PM and 7:00 PM central.