CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – With the finish line of the 2025 regular season rapidly approaching, No. 4 Harvard field hockey is gearing up for a major weekend with a pair of pivotal matches in Massachusetts.

On Friday, Oct. 24, the Crimson welcome Ivy League rival Columbia for Harvard's final regular season contest at home. First touch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Cambridge as admission to Berylson Field is free of charge. Harvard then heads west to Amherst on Sunday, Oct. 26 for a 1 p.m. clash with No. 16 UMass. Both matches will air live on ESPN+.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• Harvard is 13-0 on the 2025 season, as the Crimson is the only undefeated team remaining in the nation. The Crimson's 13-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the nation. With a win against Columbia, Harvard will match the school record for the longest winning streak, as the 2018 team won 14 straight contests on the way to an Ivy League title.
• The Crimson begin the weekend atop the Ivy League standings with a 6-0 record in conference play. With a win against Columbia on Friday, Harvard will secure its eighth Ivy League title in school history and will earn the right to host the 2025 Ivy League Tournament.
• As it's done all season, the Crimson found success against a ranked opponent last week, as Harvard earned a key 3-1 win against No. 20 Brown at Berylson Field. Harvard's talented attacking trio of junior forward Sage Piekarski, junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis and sophomore forward Martha le Huray all scored against the Bears, as the Crimson defense held the visitors to just five shots.
• Harvard wrapped last weekend on a high note, earning its ninth win on the road with a 5-1 triumph against UMass Lowell. Once again, Piekarksi, Beekhuis and le Huray all scored goals, as sophomore midfielder Tilly Butterworth and senior forward Kate Oliver also tallied goals against the Riverhawks.
• For a fifth straight week, Harvard is at the No. 4 spot in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association's National Coaches Poll. The Crimson has now spent six consecutive weeks in the top-five of the Penn Monto/NFHCA, the longest streak in program history.
• In the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index release, Harvard is ranked at No. 3, joined by Ivy League peers Princeton (No. 2), Yale (No. 10), Penn (No. 11) and Brown (No. 14) in the top-25.
• Harvard's captains for the 2025 season are senior midfielders Kitty Chapple and Fiene Oerlemans.
• Head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden is in his 13^th season at the helm of the Harvard field hockey program. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 160-67 record in his Crimson tenure, as he earned his 150^th career win in the 2-1 overtime triumph against No. 12 Ohio State earlier this season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:

• Columbia is 6-6 in the final stages of the 2025 regular season, as the Lions are 1-4 in Ivy League action this year.
• After back-to-back losses against No. 17 Yale and Penn, Columbia bounced back with a 4-0 win against Wagner in its last contest.
• An NCAA Tournament Semifinalist last season, UMass is 13-2 this year, as the Minutewomen are 6-1 in its first season in the Mid-American Conference.
• Winner of its last three contests, UMass took down James Madison, 2-1, after a penalty shootout and then ended last weekend with a 3-0 shutout win against Appalachian State.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Friday will represent the 28^th meeting between Harvard and Columbia on the field hockey pitch, as the Crimson lead the all-time series, 21-6. Dating back to 2013, Harvard is 11-0 against Columbia.
• The last match between the Crimson and Lions saw Harvard make history with a 9-3 win against Columbia. Piekarski netted Harvard's first and only hat trick of the 2024 season, as the nine goals represented the most goals for the Crimson against an Ivy League foe in school history.
• UMass leads the all-time series against Harvard, 16-10-1, as the Crimson is 4-1 over the last five matches against the Minutewomen.
• The two sides met twice last year, once in the regular season and another time in the regular season. In a contest at Berylson Field, Harvard outlasted UMass in a penalty shootout, 2-1, as the Crimson fell short against the Minutewomen, 1-0, in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS:

• Led by Chapple and defenders Bronte-May Brough, Marie Schaefers, Smilla Klas and Brooke Chandler, Harvard boasts one of the best defensive records in the country.
• Nationally, Harvard ranks third in goals against average (0.67), third in goals allowed (9), fifth in save percentage (0.804) and 10^th in shutouts per game (0.38). Harvard leads the Ivy League in all of these categories as well.
• Harvard has only allowed multiple goals in the same game once this season, as the Crimson allowed multiple goals in the same game five times last year.
• Stellar defensive play is a staple for the Crimson under the direction of van Herwaarden, as the Crimson led the nation in goals allowed in 2021 (9) and 2022 (18).

BURGER'S BIG YEAR:

• First-year goalkeeper Linde Burger is already making waves in her first season between the posts for the Crimson.
• A native of Heerhugowaard, Netherlands, Burger leads the nation in goalie winning percentage (1.000), ranks third in goals against average (0.67) and fifth in save percentage (0.800). Burger is only one of six keepers in the nation with a save percentage above .800.
• Across the first 13 starts of her career, Burger owns five shutouts, as the school record for shutouts by a goalie in a single season is 10 from Ellie Shahbo '23 in 2021.
• Burger shined in Harvard's 3-1 win against Princeton, tallying a career-high six saves.

A CAREER TO REMEMBER:

• One of the nation's top defensive talents, Brough is authoring a stellar collegiate career.
• An Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week selection earlier this season, Brough owns 25 goals, 12 assists and 62 points across 66 career appearances.
• Brough is only the fourth student-athlete in school history to earn All-America status on three occasions. Brough is looking to become the second Crimson to earn All-America status four times, as Bente van Vlijmen '20 did so from 2016-19.

RUNNING THE SHOW:

• Chapple, one of the Crimson's team captains this season, is a vital component for Harvard on both the offensive and defensive ends in the midfield.
• A native of Somerset, England, Chapple has started all 69 games of her collegiate career, recording eight goals, 15 assists and 31 points in the process.
• Chapple is a three-time All-Ivy League honoree and garnered NFHCA Northeast All-Region First Team recognition in 2022 and 2023.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT:

• Harvard's offense, which leads the Ivy League in goals scored (45), goal differential (+36) and scoring average (3.462), is showcasing its talent and depth this season.
• Eight different Crimson have scored multiple goals this season, as le Huray and Piekarski both lead the Crimson in goals scored with 10 each. This marks the first time since 2018 that multiple Crimson have scored 10 or more goals in the same season.
• le Huray, Beekhuis and Piekarski all have 20 or more points this season as well, as this is the first time since 2019 that three or more Crimson have tallied at least 20 points.
• Nationally, Harvard ranks eight in goals per game (3.46), as 2019 was the last time Harvard ended a season in the top 10 nationally in goals per game.

SENIOR SALUTE:

• Before Harvard's clash with Columbia on Friday, the Crimson will honor the Class of 2026 with a Senior Day celebration.
• Harvard's senior class of Brough, Chapple, Oerlemans, Oliver, Schaefers and senior goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo contributed to several incredible and historic moments across their four years in Cambridge.
• The Class of 2026 led Harvard to Ivy League Tournament Championships in 2023 and 2024, an Ivy League regular season championship in 2023 and new program-highs in both the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll and the NCAA RPI. The senior class owns a 58-12 overall record and a 24-2 record in Ivy League action.

ROAD WARRIORS:

• The Crimson is thriving in contests away from Berylson Field this season, as Harvard is a perfect 9-0 on the road this season.
• Harvard and Northwestern are tied for the NCAA lead in road wins, as the Crimson is one of six undefeated teams in road contests in the nation.
• In their nine road wins, Harvard possess a +23-goal differential.

IRON SHARPENS IRON:

• The Crimson is testing itself against some of the nation's top sides this regular season.
• Harvard is 5-0 against ranked opponents this year, owning a +11-goal differential in these contests.
• In the NCAA RPI, Harvard is 6-0 against teams inside the top 20, tallying 18 goals in those contests.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS:

• Dating back to the 2016 season, Harvard is maintaining a 93-game winning streak against unranked foes.
• The last loss against an unranked opponent arrived on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, a 3-1 defeat against UMass.
• Harvard is 8-0 against unranked teams this season.

UP NEXT:

Harvard concludes the regular season with a legendary rivalry, as the Crimson head to New Haven, Connecticut on Friday, Oct. 31 for a 6 p.m. clash with Yale. Harvard fans can watch every minute live on ESPN+.

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