CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's soccer will hit the road this weekend to battle a pair of Midwestern foes this weekend. The Crimson (3-0-2, 0-0-0 Ivy) will put its unbeaten record on the line when it faces off against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (1-5-0, 0-0-0 Horizon) and the Northwestern Wildcats (5-2-0, 0-0-0 B1G) in a pair of challenging road matchups. The team is coming off a hard-fought draw against No. 20 Pepperdine this past Sunday (Sep. 8) and now will turn its focus to its longest road stretch of the season that begins this Thursday (Sep. 12).

WHAT TO KNOW

Starting Strong

• Harvard is off to a strong start its 2024 campaign, posting three wins and two draws in its first five matches. The wins came in the season opener against Marshall (Aug. 26), Northeastern (Sep. 2) and Boston University (Sep. 5) with the draws coming against UMass (Aug. 29) and No. 20 Pepperdine (Sep. 8)
• The Crimson has only conceded one goal in its opening stretch and is outscoring opponent 7-1 in 2024.
• Goalkeeper, Rhiannon Stewart, recorded four consecutive shutouts before conceding her first goal of the season against the Waves.
• Stewart and Josefine Hasbo were honored by the Ivy League this past week, earning the conference's Defensive and Offensive Player of the Week Awards.

In the Rankings

• Harvard is currently tied for eighth in the nation with its .200 goals allowed average (GAA).
• The Crimson is averaging 16.8 shots per games, which ranks atop the Ivy League.
• Rhiannon Stewart owns the nations fourth-highest save percentage at a .938 clip and is ninth with her GAA of .200.
• Nicola Golen sits at no. 14 in the NCAA and no. 1 in the Ivy League with her 2.50 shots on goal per game.

Historically Speaking

• Harvard recorded four consecutive shutouts to start the season. The Crimson's shutout streak spanned 441 minutes and officially went down as the second-longest streak to begin a season in program history. The total was second only to the 630-plus minute run by the 1987 team.
• The Crimson allowed only two goals through five games for the 11^th time in program history and the third time under the Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Soccer, Chris Hamblin.

Harvard vs. Milwaukee

• The Crimson and the Panthers will match up for the second time in series history on Thursday (Sep. 12) at 8:00 PM EST. The first meeting came in 2007 where Harvard came away with a 1-0 win.
• Milwaukee is coming into the contest with a 1-5-0 record in 2024 featuring a few close losses to challenging opponents. In its last contest, the Panthers were narrowly defeated by the Wisconsin Badgers (Sep. 5) in a 1-2 loss. The team's lone win on the season came in a 3-0 victory against the UIC Flames (Sep. 1).
• Senior midfielder, Lainey Higgins, leads the Panthers with three goals on the season while senior Parker Donahugh has led the effort in goal, starting four games this season.
• The team is being outscored 9-15 on the year by its opponents and outshot 63-94.

Harvard vs. Northwestern

• The Crimson and the Wildcats will play its second game against each other in series history on Sunday (Sep. 15). Harvard earned a 1-0 win in the first matchup that came during the 2019 season.
• Northwestern holds a 5-2 record on the season and is currently on a two-game win streak after picking up results against No. 21 Virginia Tech (Sep. 8) and Illinois State (Sep. 5). The team's two losses came by a combined three goals to RV Virginia (Aug. 18) and Syracuse (Aug. 29). The team will play its B1G opener against Purdue this Thursday (Sep. 12) before hosting the Crimson.
• The Wildcats are outscoring opponents 11-5 on the season and has not conceded a goal in back-to-back contests. The team also owns a distinct advantage over opponents in the shot attempts category, leading 92-37 thus far in 2024.
• First-year forward, Kennedy Roesch, leads the team with seven points after scoring three goals and recording an assist in her first five matches. Junior midfielder, Caterina Regazzoni is in a close second with six points and owns the nation's third-highest shot accuracy clip with a .867 shot-on-goal percentage. Reiley Fitzpatrick has led the goaltending effort for the Wildcats, starting all seven games and posting a .73 GAA and a .583 save percentage.
• The Wildcats have allowed the second-fewest shots on goal in the nation during the 2024 season, allowing only 10 through seven games.   

Harvard Highlights

• Harvard's defense has been masterful in the 2024 campaign, conceding only one goal through five games. Led by Jade Rose, August Hunter and Erin Gordon, the group has allowed only 30 shot attempts all season with only 16 of those finding the net.
• Senior captain and defender, Jade Rose, has played every minute of every game this season and has played 810 consecutive minutes dating back to the 2023 season. The streak is amongst the longest in the NCAA.
• One of the Crimson's biggest strengths is its ability to possess. Harvard's ability to control the pace has allowed the team to build leads in shots (84-30), shots on goal (32-16) and corner kicks (31-11) through five games this year.
• Josefine Hasbo currently leads the team with five points in her senior season. Seven players are currently tied in second for the team lead with two points.

 

Up Next

Harvard women's soccer will continue its four-game road stretch with a tilt at Santa Clara next Sunday (Sep. 22). The Broncos are one of the hottest teams in women's college soccer and currently own a 5-1-0 record and a national ranking of No. 12. The Crimson and the Broncos will square off for the second time in series history when they kick off at 4:00 PM EST in California and on ESPN+.