CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Harvard Women's Lacrosse returns to Ivy League play on Saturday (April 1) with a road contest at Dartmouth, a 2 p.m. start on NESN+. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+. Harvard has won three of its last four games, including a 20-2 win over Merrimack last Wednesday. Junior midfielder Callie Hem has been on a tear of late recording 24 points (17 goals, seven assists) in her last four games.

QUICK HITTERS 

- Hem leads Harvard with 34 points (25 goals, nine assists), and 41 shots on goal. She leads the Ivy League with an average of 4.25 points per game and is second in goals per game (3.12) and third in total goals scored.
- Junior midfielder Riley Campbell has also been a standout on the offensive end notching 25 points (20 goals, five assists) in eight games. Campbell has nearly matched her point total (27) from a year ago in two less games.
- Junior Ilana Kofman (15 ground balls, seven caused turnovers) and first-year defender Despina Giannakopoulos (13 ground balls) lead the Crimson in ground ball pick-ups. Senior captain Shea Jenkins (six caused turnovers, 28 draw controls, eight ground balls) and junior midfielder Maddie Barkate (six ground balls, 44 draw controls) have also been impactful for the Crimson. Barkate leads the Ivy League with an average of 5.5 draw controls per game.
- Junior midfielder Callie Hem scored five goals to lead five players who had double-digit goal efforts in an 20-2 win for Harvard last Wednesday at Merrimack. It was Harvard's highest scoring output since Feb. 25, 2018 (W, 21-14). First-year Charlotte Hodgson had three goals, Riley Campbell had two goals and two assists, and Caroline Mullahy added four assists to lead Harvard.
- Harvard is third in the Ivy League (19^th, NCAA) with an average of 18.38 ground balls per game with Ilana Kofman  (1.88 ground balls/game) leading the way.
- Harvard is second in the Ivy League in clearing percentage (87.0%) and free position percentage (48.9%), with Riley Campbell (60%, 2^nd, Ivy League) and Callie Hem (58.3%, 3^rd, Ivy League) leading the way on free position shots.
- Harvard returns all six players that earned All-Ivy League honors last season, including leading scorer Callie Hem (34 goals, 10 assists), and midfielders Grace Hulslander (19 goals, six assists, 50 draw controls) and Shea Jenkins (31 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers) each earned First Team All-Ivy honors. Maddie Barkate (22 goals, five assists), Stephanie Hong (27 ground balls) and Grace Taylor (31 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers) earned All-Ivy Honorable Mention.

THE MATCHUP

A LOOK AT DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (2-6, 0-2 Ivy)) is led by three double-digit goal scorers in Katina Christensen (15 goals, two assists), Boo Dewitt (11 goals, six assists), and Catherine Erb (15 goals, one assist). The Big Green have been strong on draw controls at 54.6% on the year (2^nd, Ivy League), led by Isabella Godsick (5 draw controls per contest). Goalie Gisele Todd has started all eight games and has recorded 61 saves on the year, including a season-high 12 saves in a close 11-9 loss to No. 14 Yale last weekend. Dartmouth is coming off of an 18-5 loss to No. 7 Boston College this past Wednesday.

SERIES HISTORY
Harvard and Dartmouth have met 46 times, with the Crimson owning a 23-22-1 advantage in those contests, including an 11-7 win over the Big Green on April 3, 2022 in the last meeting. In that contest Maddie Barkate scored a career high five goals and Riley Campbell added a career high seven points (four goals, three assists) to lead Harvard.  

NOTES AND STORYLINES 

HARVARD TO HOST MORGAN'S MESSAGE GAME, AUTOGRAPH SESSION NEXT TUESDAY
Harvard women's lacrosse will dedicate its home game on Tuesday (April 4) against Stonehill to helping eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health among student-athletes through Morgan's Message. For more information about Morgan's Message and to donate to the cause visit https://www.morgansmessage.org/. Harvard will also host a postgame autograph session.
 
IVY LEAGUE WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
Predicted Order of Finish

1.	Princeton (14)	126
2.	Yale (2)	114
3.	Harvard	81
4.	Cornell	77
5.	Penn	72
5.	Brown	53
7.	Dartmouth	37
8.	Columbia	16

 
HONG, JENKINS, LANGMUIR ELECTED CAPTAINS
Last fall, Devon Wills, The Carole Kleinfelder Head Coach for Harvard Women's Lacrosse, announced that seniors Stephanie Hong, Shea Jenkins, and Meredith Langmuir will serve as captains for the 2023 season.

Hong, a midfielder from Bethesda, Md., was an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention selection in her first full season of college lacrosse. An IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selection, Hong emerged as a regular starter in 2022 and was a key part of Harvard's efforts on clears, recording 27 ground balls with six caused turnovers and six draw controls.
 
Jenkins, a midfielder from Newburyport, Mass., is a two-time All-Ivy honoree, earning First Team honors in 2022 and Second Team honors in 2019. She led the team with 31 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers in 2022 and was a force in the defensive end. She added 26 draw controls and was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on March 7 after Harvard's 9-8 win at Penn.
 
Langmuir, a midfielder from Providence, R.I., became a regular contributor in 2022, recording five goals in 11 games played, including standout performances in wins against Holy Cross (three goals) and Boston University (two goals). Langmuir is also an IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selection.

HARVARD AND PRINCETON TO BATTLE ON ESPNU
In its final regular season game of the 2023 season, the Harvard and Princeton will meet on April 30 at noon in a game that will be played on ESPNU, the network announced in early February. Harvard and Princeton are the lone Ivy schools that will open the season against ranked competition this weekend.

UP NEXT

Harvard will host Stonehill next Tuesday (April 4) at Jordan Field in a 5 p.m. contest.