CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Five different Crimson registered goals for No. 4 Harvard field hockey in its 6-1 victory against Penn at Berylson Field. After conceding the opening goal a minute and 55 seconds into the contest, Harvard rallied back with six unanswered goals.

Senior defender Bronte-May Brough ignited Harvard's attack, evening the score midway through the first quarter off a penalty corner. Junior forward Sage Piekarski and junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis powered Harvard's offense in the second quarter. Piekarski, Harvard's leading goal scorer this season, struck twice to start the frame, as Beekhuis wrapped the first half with another goal. In the second half, sophomore forwards Emily Bronckers and Martha le Huray found the back of the net in the third and fourth quarters to extend Harvard's lead.

After allowing a goal and five shots in the opening 30 minutes of the day, Harvard's defense, led by first-year goalkeeper Linde Burger, senior midfielder Kitty Chapple, and defenders Brooke Chandler, Smilla Klas, Marie Schaefers, Charlotte Casiraghi, Paige Cornelius and Brough shined in the second half, holding the Quakers scoreless and to just a single shot in the third and fourth quarters.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the showdown between Harvard (9-0, 3-0 Ivy League) and Penn (4-4, 1-2), the Quakers started the contest in control, as the visitors earned back-to-back penalty corners within the first two minutes of the day. On the second penalty corner, Penn took the lead with a strike from senior defender Philine Klas.

Midway through the first, Harvard regained momentum, earning a penalty corner chance that Penn deflected just wide of the cage.

The Crimson knocked on the door again with just over five minutes remaining in the first frame of action at Berylson Field. After first-year forward Lucy Barker earned Harvard's second penalty corner of the afternoon, senior forward Kate Oliver found Brough at the top of the circle as the three-time All-American slotted the chance home to even the score at one each.

At the end of the first quarter in Cambridge, Harvard logged four shots, holding the Quakers to just two shots in the frame.

Counterattacking defined the second quarter, as the Crimson owned the frame with a trio of well worked goals to take a 4-1 lead into the halftime break. The scoring run started with a strike from Piekarski, as le Huray launched an aerial pass to the path of Piekarski, as the junior from Concord, Massachusetts poked a shot into the cage.

Five minutes later, Piekarski did it again, as Beekhuis fed a pass to Piekarski who slipped the ball past the Penn keeper. After assisting Piekarski for the Crimson's third goal of the afternoon, Beekhuis put her name on the scoresheet, as the 2023 Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player won possession at the edge of the circle and fired a powerful shot into the cage to put Harvard up 4-1 heading into the halftime break.

With the first half in the books, the Crimson recorded seven shots, all of them on goal, as Harvard's defense only allowed five shots in the opening 30 minutes of action.

Harvard's control of the contest continued in the third quarter, as the Crimson dictated the action both on the offensive and defensive ends of the pitch thanks to strong play from Chapple in the midfield. Harvard's attack registered nine shots in the third quarter, holding the visitors to zero shots in the period.

The Crimson extended the advantage with 5:01 on the clock in the third quarter. Harvard capitalized on a corner opportunity, as Bronckers deflected a shot into the cage on the right side of the circle for her first goal of the 2025 season, 5-1.

The fourth quarter saw Harvard orchestrate another goal from open play. Once again running the show from the midfield, Chapple found le Huray in the circle with a pass from outside the circle, as le Huray put the game to rest with Harvard's sixth goal of the day, 6-1.

Harvard's earns its ninth win of the year with 16 shots, 14 of them on target. For the eighth time this season, the Crimson held its opponent below double digit shot attempts, as Penn only logged six shots on the afternoon. Offensively, five different Crimson recorded goals against the Quakers.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

• Harvard is 9-0 to start the 2025 campaign, representing the best start to a season in school history.
• The Crimson extends its winning streak against teams unranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's/Penn Monto National Coaches Poll to 90 straight games.
• With the 6-1 triumph against Penn, Harvard is now 5-0 against teams inside the top-25 of the NCAA's Rating Percentage Index. The Crimson owns a +11-goal differential in those contests.
• Across the last 360 minutes of action, Harvard has only allowed two goals, recording four shutouts in the process.
• Piekarski records multiple goals in a game for the first time this season. A native of Concord, Massachusetts, Piekarski leads Harvard in goals (6) and is tied with Beekhuis for the team lead in points (13).
• One of the Crimson's team captains, Chapple has four points in the last three contests.
• Bronckers tallied her first goal of the season, as she has five goals in her Crimson career.

UP NEXT:

Harvard now turns the page to a midweek tilt, as the Crimson will face Boston University under the lights on Monday, Oct. 6. First touch at New Balance Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. and all the action will air live on ESPN+.

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