CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Following a dominant victory over Marshall to begin its 2024 campaign, Harvard women's soccer will now hit the road to face the University of Massachusetts-Amherst this Thursday. The Crimson (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy) will battle the Minutewomen (1-2-0, 0-0-0 A10) for the 31^st time in series history when it makes the trip to the Western part of the state this week.
 

WHAT TO KNOW

 

Against Marshall

• The Crimson earned its seventh consecutive home-opening win with its 1-0 result over Marshall on Monday.
• Harvard allowed just five shots – two of which were on target – and no corner kicks in a dominant defensive showing during the contest.
• The clean sheet was the third consecutive shut out for the Crimson in matches at Jordan Field.
• Josefine Hasbo picked up where she left off in 2023, scoring a goal in her season debut. The senior captain has now scored in five of her past six collegiate matches.
• Sarah Lloyd earned her first career point with an assist on the Hasbo goal.
• Three players made their collegiate debuts against the Thundering Herd including Lloyd, Erin Gordon and Lauren Muniz.
• Rhiannon Stewart recorded her first career shutout, making two saves in the match.

 

Against UMass

• Harvard trails in the all-time series against the Minutewomen, 13-15-2.
• The Crimson has won the past two contests against UMass in 2022 and 2019 and owns a 7-2-1 record in the past ten matches.
• Seven members of the Crimson played in the match in 2022 including Jade Rose and Josefine Hasbo, who played 90 and 64 minutes, respectively.
• UMass comes into the match fresh off a 1-0 win over Rutgers on Sunday (Aug. 25), which went down as their first positive result of the season.
• Previously, the group had lost to Army (Aug. 22) and Syracuse (Aug. 15) by a combined score of 2-5.

 

On the Road

• Harvard has held its own in matches away from Jordan Field, posting a 21-5-5 record in road contests since 2019.
• This will be the first of Harvard's 10 away fixtures, which is the most in program history.

 

Preseason Award and Accolades

• The Crimson landed in the top spot on the Ivy League Preseason media poll, taking first place with 120 votes and 10 first-place votes.
• Josefine Hasbo and Jade Rose were named to the Midfielder and Defenders to watch lists by the United Soccer Coaches.
• The duo also landed on the annual Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top 100 player list last week ahead of their senior seasons. Josie claimed the No. 27 spot while Jade was ranked at 62nd on the list.
• Harvard came in to the 2024 season ranked No. 19 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. Harvard was ranked as high as No. 17 in the poll a year ago.
• Harvard women's soccer was recently ranked inside Soccer Wire's National Top 50 Programs over the past five seasons. The Crimson came in at No. 46 on the list that takes into account national rankings and achievements dating back to the start of the 2020 season. The recognition is a testament to the rapid growth the program has experience under Coach Hamblin and his staff, who are seeking its fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024.

 

Up Next

 
The Crimson will stay local for its next contest when it travels across the City of Boston to take on the Northeastern Huskies. Harvard and Northeastern will meet at 6:30 PM on Labor Day (Sep. 2) for the 13^th time in series history.