BOSTON, Mass. – Harvard women's soccer continued to roll to victory tonight over its cross-town rival, Boston University at Nickerson Field. The Crimson (3-0-1, 0-0-0 Ivy) knocked off the Terriers (0-4-2, 0-0-0 Patriot League) on their home pitch behind another solid defensive effort. The Crimson's unbeaten record remains in tact with the winning result which was the second straight for the Crimson.
 
Susie Long's 32' goal proved to be the difference as the Crimson's shutout streak now stretches to four games.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Crimson made the mile long trip over the Charles River to take on the Boston University Terriers on Thursday night, renewing the sides cross-town rivalry.
• The Terriers took it to the Crimson defense early in the contest but a quick save from starting goalkeeper, Rhiannon Stewart, settled things down. The Crimson countered with a strong chance of its own four minutes later when Audrey Francois and Jasmine Leshnick nearly connected for the first tally of the game.
• After the action in the first five minutes, both defenses stepped up to settle down play. Both offenses struggled to get any quality looks towards goal for the next 25 minutes of the match.
• In the 30^th minute of play, Nicola Golen showed off some fancy footwork on the outside of the box to get an angle before threading a pass across the middle that found Susie Long. Long floated a shot perfectly over the BU goalkeeper to break the scoreless tie and get the Crimson on the board.
• Harvard kept pushing after the Long tally, creating three more chances in the following ten minutes of play. The Terrier defense was up to the task as the first half would end with the Crimson holding on to its 1-0 lead. Stats were nearly even at the break, with each team owning two shot attempts and one shot on goal.
• The Crimson kept the pressure on in the second half, controlling possession for most of the first 15 minutes of the half. The Crimson created a few chances that came up short against the BU defense.
• Harvard's defense was just as stellar, holding off the Terriers for the entirety of the second half and allowing only a single shot attempt in the second 45 minutes.
• The defense's strong play allowed Harvard's forwards to press and create more opportunities in the open field down the stretch.
• Golen had three shots on goal in a seven-minute stretch get denied by the BU keeper as Harvard held on to its one goal lead.
•  In the final ten minutes, Harvard slowed down its attack to hold on to its lead. Still, Jade Rose and Audrey Francois were able to create great scoring looks, but both sailed off target.
• The Crimson would hold on to its lead as the final seconds ticked off the clock to record its second consecutive winning result.

 

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS

• Susie Long scored her first goal of the 2024 season.
• Nicola Golen recorded the assist on the Long goal.
• Rhiannon Stewart picked up another shutout, her fourth consecutive clean sheet, making one save in the contest.
• The Crimson defense was led by Erin Gordon, August Hunter and Jade Rose, who all played the full 90 minutes and shut down the Terrier attack.
• Harvard outshot BU, 8-3 and held the advantage in shots on goal, 4-1.

 

UP NEXT

The Crimson will take on its toughest challenge to date in 2024 when the No. 20 Pepperdine Waves roll into Cambridge to battle Harvard on Sunday (Sep. 8). Harvard and Pepperdine are set to square off at Jordan Field and on ESPN+ at 1:00 PM. The match will also serve as the team's annual Pride Game Celebration.