CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Ivy League regular season champion No. 4 Harvard field hockey embarks on its journey in the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament at noon on Friday, Nov. 14, as the Crimson hosts America East Tournament and regular season champion New Hampshire in the First Round of the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament.

Harvard fans can purchase tickets for this weekend here, as all contests in the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament First Round and Quarterfinals will air live on ESPN+. The winner of Friday's contest between Harvard and New Hampshire will face the victor of the No. 7 Wake Forest and No. 13 UConn match on Sunday, Nov. 16.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• Harvard enters the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament as the No. 3 seed, as the Crimson is one of four programs hosting contests this weekend. This is only the second time in school history that the Crimson will host NCAA Tournament matches, as Harvard first hosted NCAA Tournament matches during the 2004 season.
• The Crimson begins NCAA action with a 17-1 record, as Harvard is only one of three teams in the nation with a single loss. With the win against Brown in the Ivy League Tournament Semifinals, Harvard matched the program record for most victories in a single-season, as the 2018 and 2021 iterations of Harvard each won 17 contests.
• Last weekend saw Harvard begin the postseason by hosting the 2025 Ivy League Tournament at Berylson Field.
• In the semifinal clash against No. 19 Brown, the Crimson breezed past the Bears to a 2-0 shutout win. Sophomore Martha le Huray found junior forward Sage Piekarski for the opening goal at the end of the first quarter, as junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis doubled the lead in the second quarter. With five saves, first-year keeper Linde Burger recorded her eighth shutout of the season.
• Harvard gave its all in the championship round of the 2025 Ivy League Tournament against No. 5 Princeton, as the Crimson fell just short, 2-1, in its first defeat of the year. After the Tigers took the lead in the second quarter on a successful penalty stroke from Pru Lindsey, the Crimson leveled the score thanks to a strike from Beekhuis, as the Tigers scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner in the third quarter.
• In the penultimate release of the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association's National Coaches Poll, Harvard holds the No. 4 spot. Harvard has now spent nine consecutive weeks in the top-five of the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the longest streak in program history. Previously, Harvard held the No. 3 spot, representing the highest ranking in school history.
• Harvard's team 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 and the leader of the 2025 Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 164-68 record in his Crimson tenure, as he earned his 150^th career win in the 2-1 overtime triumph against No. 12 Ohio State.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS:

• The Wildcats bring a 12-6 record to Cambridge this weekend, as New Hampshire also owns a five-game winning streak.
• New Hampshire earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament after defeating Vermont, 1-0, in double overtime in the championship round of the America East Tournament. Senior forward Nicole Poulakis netted the game winning goal just a minute and 41 seconds into the second overtime.
• One of the more dangerous attackers in the nation, Poulakis is tied for second in goals scored in the country with 23. As a team, New Hampshire ranks sixth nationally in scoring with 65 goals.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Friday's contest marks the 41^st meeting between the Crimson and the Wildcats on the field hockey pitch. New Hampshire leads the all-time series, 23-16-1.
• The two sides last met in 2021, as Harvard earned a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Hannah Pearce '22 and Megan Joel '25.
• Harvard is 4-0 in the last four contests in the series against New Hampshire, scoring 14 goals and allowing just one in that span.

NCAA TOURNAMENT LEDGER:

• Harvard heads to the NCAA Tournament for the 10^th time in program history, as the Crimson have now qualified for three-straight NCAA Tournaments.
• The Crimson is 5-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, as all five wins have arrived during the van Herwaarden era in Cambridge.
• Harvard is 4-1 in NCAA Tournament First Round matches since 2016. Last season's NCAA Tournament First Round contest against No. 11 Syracuse saw Beekhuis score the overtime winner in a 1-0 contest.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK:

• Over the course of the 2025 regular season, Harvard reached several milestones and rewrote several program records.
• Harvard orchestrated a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season, marking the first perfect regular season in Ivy League history. It is only the second undefeated season in the history of the Ancient Eight, as the 1974 Princeton Tigers went 9-0-2.
• The Crimson recently completed the a 17-game winning streak, the longest winning streak in program history and the longest winning streak in the nation so far this season.
• Harvard has also set new program bests for wins on the road in a season (11) and win against ranked teams in a season (7).

YOU SHALL NOT PASS:

• Led by Chapple and defenders Bronte-May Brough, Smilla Klas, Brooke Chandler, Marie Schaefers, Charlotte Casiraghi and Paige Cornelius, Harvard boasts one of the best defensive records in the country.
• Nationally, Harvard is third in goals against average (0.65), tied for second in goals allowed (12) and is fifth in shutouts per game (0.44).
• Harvard has only allowed multiple goals in the same game twice this season, as Harvard allowed multiple goals in the same game five times in 2024.

BURGER'S BIG YEAR:

• Burger is making an immediate impact in her first season between the posts for the Crimson.
• A native of Heerhugowaard, Netherlands, Burger leads the nation in goalie winning percentage (0.941), ranks second in goals against average (0.65), is tied for fourth in goals allowed (12) and is seventh in save percentage (0.786). Burger also leads the Ivy League in all four categories as well.
• Across the first 18 starts of her career, Burger owns eight shutouts, as the school record for shutouts by a keeper in a single season is 10 from Ellie Shahbo '23 in 2021.
• Burger is the 2025 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Crimson to earn the honor in the last four seasons.

A CAREER TO REMEMBER:

• One of the best defenders in the nation, Brough is authoring a remarkable collegiate career.
• Brough is the 2025 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to earn the honor on multiple occasions.
• A native of Uttoxeter, England, Brough is only the fourth student-athlete in school history to earn All-America status three times, as Brough is looking to become only the second Crimson to earn All-America honors four times, as Bente van Vlijmen '20 did so from 2016-19.
• Across 71 career appearances, Brough owns 25 goals, 12 assists and 62 points in her Crimson career.

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 74 matches of her Crimson tenure, tallying eight goals, 17 assists and 33 points in the process.
• Chapple is now a four-time All-Ivy League honoree, earning All-Ivy League First Team status this season. Chapple garnered NFHCA Northeast All-Region First Team recognition in 2022 and 2023.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT:

• Harvard's attack, which leads the Ivy League in both goals scored (54) and goal differential (+42), is showcasing its talent and depth this season.
• Eight different Crimson have scored multiple goals this season, as Piekarksi leads the way with 13 goals and 29 points. Beekhuis and le Huray are tied for second with 11 goals and 27 points each. This marks the first time since 2017 that three or more Crimson have scored double-digit goals in a single season.
• Beekhuis, le Huray 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.
• Piekarski is the Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year alongside Princeton's senior midfielder Beth Yeager, as Piekarski is the first Crimson to receive the honor since 2019.
• Nationally, Harvard ranks 13^th in scoring average (2.82).

IRON SHARPENS IRON:

• The Crimson is testing itself against some of the nation's top sides this season.
• Harvard is 7-1 against ranked opponents this season, owning a +11-goal differential against ranked sides.
• In the NCAA RPI, Harvard is 9-1 against opponents ranked inside the top 20.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS:

• Dating back to the 2016 season, Harvard is maintaining a 94-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 9-0 against unranked teams this season.

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