CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 10 Harvard field hockey begins the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Connecticut, as the Crimson will battle against No. 11 Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 15 at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. The contest is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start and will air live on ESPN+. Crimson fans can purchase tickets here.

The winner of Friday's contest between Harvard and Syracuse will face the victor of the No. 14 UMass and No. 4 UConn match on Sunday, Nov. 17.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• The Crimson begin the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a 15-3 record and a five-match winning streak, as Harvard earned an automatic bid after winning the 2024 Ivy League Tournament, defeating Brown and No. 13 Princeton in the Garden State last weekend.
• In the final Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Coaches Poll, Harvard moved up one spot, checking in at No. 10.
• Harvard also ranks in the top-10 of the NCAA's Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The Crimson currently hold the No. 7 spot in the RPI.
• After winning the Ivy League Tournament title for a second straight season, four Crimson earned Ivy League All-Tournament Team recognition.
• Junior defender Bronte-May Brough, junior midfielder Kitty Chapple, first-year forward Martha le Huray, and junior goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo all garnered Ivy League All-Tournament Team honors, as le Huray was named the Most Outstanding Player after scoring the overtime winner against Princeton in the championship match.
• Prior to the Ivy League Tournament, six Crimson garnered All-Ivy League status. Brough and sophomore midfielder Lara Beekhuis earned All-Ivy League First Team honors, while Chapple, senior midfielder Emily Guckian, junior forward Kate Oliver, and sophomore forward Sage Piekarski all gained All-Ivy League Second Team status.
• The Crimson is thriving away from home this season. Harvard holds a 9-1 record in away contests this season, the most road victories and the best road winning percentage in head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden's tenure.
• Against teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Field, the Crimson own a 5-2 record, earning victories against No. 13 Princeton, No. 3 Saint Joseph's, No. 14 UMass, No. 4 UConn and America East Champion Vermont, as Harvard has a +5 goal differential in those contests.
• For the first time since 2019, Harvard leads the Ivy League in scoring, as the Crimson's high powered attack has 52 goals this season, 10 more than second place Brown. The Crimson also own the conference's best goal differential (+31).
• One of the nation's best tacticians and teachers, van Herwaarden is in his 12^th season as the head coach of Harvard field hockey. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 146-56 record in his Crimson tenure.

LAST TIME OUT:

• For the second time in program history, Harvard is the Ivy League Tournament Champion, taking down Brown and No. 13 Princeton to defend the title from last season.
• After 60 minutes of scoreless action at Bedford Field against Brown in the semifinals, Brough sent the Crimson to the Ivy League Tournament Championship with her second goal of the season in overtime.
• In the match against the Bears, Harvard outshot Brown, 10-6, as Shahbo kept her second straight shutout with four saves.
• Harvard lifted the Ivy League Tournament trophy after outlasting tournament host Princeton in an overtime thriller.
• Chapple opened the scoring with just 2:35 on the clock, redirecting a shot off a corner. After the Tigers equalized with under a minute to go in regulation, le Huray sent Crimson Nation into a frenzy, netting a stellar goal in overtime to seal the win.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE:

• Syracuse begins the 2024 NCAA Tournament with a 13-6 record, posting a 4-4 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference action during the regular season.
• At the 2024 ACC Championships, Syracuse shut out No. 3 Virginia in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 2 North Carolina in the semifinals.
• Head coach Lynn Farquhar is in her second season as the Syracuse head coach, as she owns a 24-14 in her tenure "On The Hill".

SERIES HISTORY:

• Friday's clash between the Crimson and the Orange is the third all-time meeting between the two programs, as the series is tied, 1-1.
• Last season saw Harvard's offense excel against Syracuse, as five different Crimson scored in a 6-5 win at Berylson Field.
• The two sides first met in 2016, as the Crimson fell short against Syracuse at J.S. Coyne Stadium in the NCAA Tournament First Round.

LET'S DANCE:

• For the first time in program history, Harvard earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.
• This is the Crimson's ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the school's history, as Harvard owns a 4-8 record in the competition.
• All four wins in the NCAA Tournament have arrived under the direction of coach van Herwaarden.
• The Crimson earned its first NCAA Tournament win in 2018, defeating Penn State, 6-1.

DYANMIC DUO:

• Beekhuis and Piekarski lead the line for a powerful and electric Harvard attack.
• The pair of sophomores hold the team lead in goals (9) and points (20) this season, as they also earned All-Ivy League honors this season.
• Piekarski is the only Crimson this season to win Ivy League weekly honors multiple times this season.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS:

• Led by Shahbo in goal and a backline of Brough, sophomore Smilla Klas, and junior Marie Schaefers, the Crimson own one of the best defensive units in the nation.
• The Crimson rank 19^th in defensive saves (5), ninth in goals against average (1.12) and seventh in save percentage (.788). Harvard leads the Ivy League in defensive saves and goals against average and is second in save percentage.
• In her past five appearances between the posts, Shahbo is orchestrating stellar performances, allowing just three goals, while posting two shutouts and 21 saves.

CRIMSON CAPTAINS:

• Guckian and senior goalkeeper Sofia Castore are the Crimson team captains this season.
• A four-time All-Ivy League selection and two-time NFHCA All-American, Guckian is one of the best creative midfielders in program history, tallying 65 points in 74 matches throughout her Crimson career.
• Castore has made four appearances between the posts this season, seeing action in wins against William & Mary, Vermont, Columbia, and Cornell this year.

A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY:

• On Saturday, Oct. 19, the Harvard field hockey community gathered at Berylson Field and the Hall of History to celebrate the program's 50^th anniversary.
• Harvard owns a storied legacy on the field hockey pitch, winning seven Ivy League regular season titles, the 2024 and 2023 Ivy League Tournaments, as the Crimson advanced to its first NCAA Tournament Semifinals in 2021.

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