CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 2 seed Harvard University men's soccer meets No. 3 seed Yale University in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 10 at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Penn Park in Philadelphia as the Crimson opens postseason play at the inaugural four-team event.

What to Know: Team Notes

• The Crimson (5-4-7, 3-1-3 Ivy) will seek to defeat the Bulldogs (8-5-3, 3-1-3 Ivy) for the second time this season after Harvard rallied to beat Yale, 3-1, on Oct. 14. The victory gave Harvard the tiebreaker over Yale to claim the No. 2 seed in the Ivy Tournament.
• The winner of the Harvard-Yale matchup will advance to meet either No. 1 seed Penn or No. 4 seed Brown in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Penn Park.
• Harvard's second-place finish in the conference standings marked the Crimson's highest placement in the conference table since 2015. Under Josh Shapiro, The Virginia B. and James O. Welch '52 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Soccer, the Crimson has continually moved up the standings from fourth in 2021 to third in 2022 to second in 2023.
• Harvard has scored a game-winning or game-tying goal in the 78^th minute or later six times this season, including against Seton Hall (Sept. 9), Vermont (Sept. 16), Yale (Oct. 14), Holy Cross (Oct. 17), Princeton (Oct. 28), and Dartmouth (Nov. 4). That stretch includes four of the Crimson's last five games.
• In Ivy League play, Harvard led the conference with 12 goals, averaging 1.714 goals per game in league competition.
• As a team, the Crimson has converted all four of its penalty kick chances this season, including makes from junior Alessandro Arlotti (2-for-2), senior Ale Gutierrez (1-for-1), and senior Willem Ebbinge (1-for-1).
• The Crimson has posted a 9-2-6 mark over its last 17 Ivy League games.
• Harvard has posted a 4-1-3 mark over its last eight contests and a 5-2-5 record over its last 12 games this season.
• As a team, the Crimson has permitted one or fewer goals in eight of its last 10 games and has allowed one or fewer goals in 12 of its 16 matches in 2023.
• The Crimson ranks 19^th in the nation and first in the Ivy League in corner kicks per game (6.50).
• Harvard leads Yale in the all-time series, 57-39-13.
• Yale enters the tournament with an 8-5-3 overall record and 3-1-3 Ivy League mark. The Bulldogs went 2-0-1 in their last three Ivy games with wins over Columbia (2-1) and Cornell (2-0) and a tie with Brown (0-0). 

What to Know: Individual Notes

• Junior Alessandro Arlotti leads the Crimson with 18 points on the year behind six goals and six assists. He stands third in the Ivy League in points (18), second in assists (six), fifth in goals (five), second in shots (52), and third in shots on goal (22). In conference play, he leads the Ancient Eight in points (13), goals (five), and shots (25) while standing second in assists (three) and shots on goal (12).
• Arlotti notched a goal and an assist in wins over both Columbia (Sept. 30) and Yale (Oct. 14) prior to scoring one goal apiece against Penn (Oct. 22) and Dartmouth (Nov. 4). He netted back-to-back free-kick goals against Boston University (Oct. 10) and Yale (Oct. 17). He scored his first goal of the year in a 1-1 draw vs. Cornell (Sept. 23) and tallied three assists at Fairfield (Sept. 19).
• Senior Ale Gutierrez ranks second on the Crimson with eight points on the season behind three goals and two assists. He scored two goals – his second career brace – including the game-winning penalty kick in the 90^th minute against Princeton (Oct. 28). Gutierrez captured Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week following his brace against the Tigers.
• First-year Andreas Savva tallied five points over a two-game span against Yale (Oct. 14) and Holy Cross (Oct. 17). He notched a goal and an assist against the Bulldogs before netting the game-winning goal against the Crusaders.
• First-year Dylan Tellado has netted three goals on the year. He scored his three goals over a three-game span – finding the back of the net twice vs. Fairfield (Sept. 19) and scoring a goal at Columbia (Sept. 30).
• Junior defender Jan Riecke and senior defender Nik White have anchored Harvard's back line this fall. Riecke has played in 1,423 out of a possible 1,440 minutes on the year. Riecke has played the full 90 in 15 of 16 matches in 2023 and scored the game-winning goal against Yale (Oct. 14).
• Sophomore goalkeeper Lucian Wood has played the majority of time in net for the Crimson, posting a 1.27 GAA, .721 save percentage, 49 saves, and two shutouts over 15 starts. Wood earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting a shutout and five saves in a 0-0 draw with Brown (Oct. 7).
• Senior Willem Ebbinge has posted seven points behind a goal and five assists over five games. He tied the school single-game record with four assists at Fairfield (Sept. 19). Ebbinge ranks second all-time at Harvard and fourth in Ivy League history with 29 career assists.
• Ebbinge helped New Zealand qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics as the team beat Fiji, 9-0, in the final of the Oceania Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament on Sept. 9 at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. 

What to Know: Game Capsules

• In its regular season finale, the Crimson rallied from a 2-0 deficit behind goals from junior Alessandro Arlotti (77^th minute) and sophomore Ethan Veghte (88^th minute) to earn a 2-2 draw at Dartmouth (Nov. 4).
• On Senior Day, senior Ale Gutierrez scored two goals – including the game-winning penalty kick in the 90^th minute – as Harvard defeated Princeton, 2-1, on Oct. 28 at Jordan Field in its home regular season finale.
• Against Holy Cross (Oct. 17), the Crimson took a 2-1 victory over the Crusaders behind goals from sophomore Juho Ojanen (68^th minute) and first-year Andreas Savva (88^th minute).
• In an instant classic against Yale (Oct. 14), Harvard rallied with three second-half goals to beat the Bulldogs, 3-1. Facing a 1-0 deficit in the 61^st minute, the Crimson netted goals in the 63^rd, 80^th, and 90^th minutes from first-year Andreas Savva, junior Jan Riecke, and junior Alessandro Arlotti.
• Harvard scored three times in the first 31 minutes of the game to earn a 3-1 win over Columbia (Sept. 30) in its first Ivy League road match of the year. Junior Alessandro Arlotti (fifth minute), sophomore Marcos Ojea Quintana (12^th minute), and first-year Dylan Tellado (31^st minute) provided the goals for the Crimson.
• Against Fairfield (Sept. 19), first-year Dylan Tellado scored a pair of goals, senior Ale Gutierrez and junior Sam Bjarnason each scored once, and senior Willem Ebbinge (four) and junior Alessandro Arlotti (three) each tallied career highs in assists as Harvard defeated the Stags, 4-2.
• Senior Willem Ebbinge converted a penalty kick in the 78^th minute as Harvard earned a 1-1 draw with No. 12 Vermont (Sept. 16). Ebbinge scored his goal in his first start for the Crimson since coming back from OFC Olympic Qualifying where he helped New Zealand book its spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
• In the Crimson's outing against No. 23 Seton Hall (Sept. 9), senior Nik White scored a critical goal, netting an equalizer in the 90^th minute to help the Crimson earn a point against the nationally ranked Pirates with a goal with 24 seconds left.
• In its home and season opener against Rhode Island (Sept. 1), the Crimson posted a shutout in a 0-0 draw with sophomore goalkeeper Lucian Wood earning his first career clean sheet.
• Opening its 2023 season, the Crimson took on a more challenging non-conference slate. Harvard began the year against an opponent from the Atlantic-10 (Rhode Island) and back-to-back Big East teams in Marquette and No. 23 Seton Hall. The Crimson later met another pair of top-25 opponent in No. 12 Vermont and No. 18 New Hampshire.

Next Up

The winner of the Harvard-Yale matchup will advance to meet either No. 1 seed Penn or No. 4 seed Brown in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Penn Park.