CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 10 Harvard field hockey is ready for a special weekend on the banks of the Charles River, as the Crimson host No. 15 Princeton in a pivotal match on Saturday, Oct. 19 in the chase for the Ivy League Championship.

The contest is scheduled for a noon start time and will stream live on ESPN+. Admission to Berylson Field is free of charge.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• Harvard is 10-2 on the season with a 4-0 record in Ivy League action. The Crimson hold the No. 10 position in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll, spending 10 straight weeks in the top-10.
• As of Sunday, Oct. 13, the Crimson also rank No. 10 in the NCAA's RPI, the highest-ranked Ivy League program.
• Last weekend, Harvard split a pair of road matches against Columbia and No. 2 Northwestern.
• At Columbia Field Hockey Stadium, the Crimson produced one of the best offensive displays in program history, scoring a season-high nine goals in a 9-3 victory against the Lions.
• The nine goals are the most since 2019, when Harvard defeated Brown at home, 9-1. Harvard fell just short of matching the program's single-game scoring record set in 1989.
• Harvard produced an admirable effort in a 3-2 loss at undefeated No. 2 Northwestern. Sophomores Sage Piekarski and Lara Beekhuis netted goals for the Crimson as junior goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo stopped eight shots, tying her career-high for the third time this season.
• At Berylson Field, the Crimson own a 4-1 record this season with a +4-goal differential. Over the past three campaigns, Harvard is 21-3 at home matches. During that stretch, Harvard is a perfect 10-0 against Ivy League foes at Berylson Field.
• In the Ivy League standings, Harvard and Princeton are the only teams with perfect marks in conference action (4-0).
• Offensively, the Crimson own one of the best attacks in the nation, ranking sixth in goals per game (3.33) and eighth in average scoring margin (1.93). The Crimson lead the Ivy League in both of those categories.
• The Crimson is excelling against tough opponents this season, owning a 3-2 record against teams in the top-25 of the NCAA RPI.
• Head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden is in his 12^th season at the helm of the Harvard field hockey program. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year honoree, van Herwaarden owns a 141-55 record in his Crimson tenure.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• Princeton owns an 8-4 record this season, holding a flawless 4-0 mark in Ivy League action.
• The Tigers followed a loss against Syracuse with back-to-back victories at home in the Garden State.
• On Friday, Oct. 11, the Tigers held off a second-half comeback attempt from Brown to secure a 4-2 win. Princeton concluded the weekend with a 2-1 overtime win against Delaware.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Harvard and Princeton will meet for the 54^th time on Saturday, as the Tigers lead the all-time series, 10-41-2.
• In 2023, the Crimson and Tigers met twice, as Harvard secured a share of the Ivy League regular season title with a 4-0 win on the road. In the Ivy League Tournament Final, the Crimson punched its ticket to the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a dramatic 2-1 win against the Tigers.

ANCIENT EIGHT SUCCESS:

• The defending Ivy League champions, Harvard is a perfect 11-0 in its last 11 Ivy League regular contests, posting a +30 goal differential in those matches.
• Along with the impressive goal margin, the Crimson also posted five shutouts during that run of victories.
• Harvard has not lost a Ivy League match at home since 2019, a 3-2 loss against Princeton.

PIEKARSKI POWER:

• Piekarski shined against Columbia and Northwestern last weekend, netting four goals in two matches.
• The 2023 Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year, Piekarski recorded the Crimson's first hat trick of the season in the 9-3 win against the Lions, adding another against No. 2 Northwestern.
• A native of Concord, Mass., Piekarski earned Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Week and is tied for second on the team in goals (6) and points (14).

BEEKHUIS' BIG YEAR:

• The 2023 Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Beekhuis is orchestrating a stellar campaign in 2024, leading the Crimson in goals (8) and points (17) this season.
• In her last four appearances, Beekhuis has three goals, including a pair of goals in the Northwestern and Columbia matches last weekend.
• Across 32 career appearances, Beekhuis has 18 goals, three assists and 39 points, averaging 1.21 points per match.

CRIMSON CAPTAINS:

• Senior midfielder Emily Guckian and senior goalkeeper Sofia Casotre are the Crimson team captains this season.
• A two-time NFHCA All-American, Guckian has five goals and 10 points this season, bringing her career point tally to 63, three points away from matching Kathleen Young '19 and Elizabeth Jacobson '16 for 10^th all-time in program history.
• Castore has 11 career appearances between the posts, as she saw action in Harvard's 9-3 win against Columbia last weekend.

A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY:

• On Saturday, the Harvard community will celebrate the field hockey's 50^th anniversary during and after the match against Princeton.
• The Crimson own seven Ivy League titles and advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals in 2021.

UP NEXT:

Harvard prepares for its final regular season road trip next weekend, heading to Philadelphia for a pair of contests. On Friday, Oct. 25, Harvard takes on Penn in its penultimate Ivy League match, followed by a meeting with top-10 opponent Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Oct. 27. Both games will stream live on ESPN+.

For all the latest on Harvard Field Hockey, follow the Crimson on Twitter (@HarvardFH)and Instagram (@harvardfieldhockey).