CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Ivy League's most storied rivalry will take its grandest stage yet, as No. 4 Harvard field hockey will square off against No. 3 Princeton in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 21 in Durham, North Carolina. The winner will advance to the 2025 NCAA Division I Field Hockey National Championship.

Push back at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium is scheduled for noon. Harvard fans can purchase tickets here, as all three contests at the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Championship will air live on ESPNU.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• Harvard field hockey is back in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals for the second time in school history, with the first occasion arriving during the 2021 campaign.
• The Crimson is 19-1 this season, as the 19 wins marks the most in a season in program history. Harvard is only one of three teams in the nation with a single loss this season, as the other two, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Northwestern, are meeting in the opposite NCAA Tournament Semifinal.
• In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Harvard overcame an early 2-0 deficit against New Hampshire with eight unanswered goals, as the Crimson advanced to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals for a third straight year.
• The Ivy League's Co-Offensive Player of the Year, junior forward Sage Piekarski led the line with three goals against New Hampshire, marking the first hat trick of the season and the first hat trick for a Crimson in an NCAA Tournament match in school history.
• Harvard punched its ticket to Durham with a decisive 1-0 win on home turf against No. 13 UConn. Sophomore forward Martha le Huray tallied the winning goal, as the Crimson defense only allowed two shots in the second half. First-year keeper Linde Burger picked up her ninth shutout of the year with four saves.
• The Crimson owns a +7 goal differential in the NCAA Tournament this season, the best goal margin in the field entering the NCAA Tournament Semifinals.
• 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 school 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, the longest tenured coach in the Ivy League, 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 166-68 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 TIGERS:

• Princeton is 17-3 heading into the trilogy bout with the Crimson. The Tigers are maintaining a 13-game winning streak heading into Durham.
• The Tigers paved their way to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals with a 3-1 against Fairfield in the opening round and a thrilling 2-1 win against No. 10 Syracuse.
• Friday's semifinal will see two of the nation's top defenses square off, as Princeton ranks fourth nationally in goals against average (0.67) and goals allowed (18). Senior midfielder Beth Yeager leads the team in both goals (14) and points (38).

SERIES HISTORY:

• Either Harvard or Princeton have been crowned the Ivy League champion since 2004, as the Tigers lead the all-time series, 43-12-2.
• This is the first time in series history that Harvard and Princeton will meet for a third time in a single season. This is the second time in series history that the Crimson and Tigers will meet in the NCAA Tournament, as Princeton earned a 2-1 win in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. Friday's contest is the first time that Harvard and Princeton will face off at a neutral site.
• The Crimson is 4-2 against Princeton in the last six matchups of the series. Four of the six contests were decided by one goal.
• In the regular season meeting in the Garden State, senior defender Bronte-May Brough scored two goals as Piekarski added another in the fourth in a 3-1 win. The Tigers even the season series with a 2-1 win in the Ivy League Tournament Championship.

NCAA TOURNAMENT LEDGER:

• Harvard is in the NCAA Tournament for a 10^th time in program history, qualifying for three-straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in school history.
• Harvard is 7-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, as Harvard is 7-5 in the competition during van Herwaarde's tenure.
• The Crimson is looking to advance to the NCAA National Championship for the first time in program history.

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 recorded 19 wins this season, setting a new program standard for the most wins in a single season.
• Harvard completed a 17-game winning streak earlier this year, which marks the longest winning streak in school history and is 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 wins against ranked teams in a season (8).

YOU SHALL NOT PASS:

• A staple for the Crimson under the direction of van Herwaarden is excellent defensive structure and play, and this year is no different.
• Nationally, Harvard ranks second in goals against average (0.68), is tied for the national lead in goals allowed (14) with fellow national semifinalist Northwestern, and is fifth in shutouts per game (0.45). Harvard leads the Ivy League in all three categories as well.
• The Crimson is excellent at limiting opposition attacking chances, as Harvard only allows 6.8 shots per game this year.
• Harvard has only allowed multiple goals in a game three times this season, as last year saw Harvard concede multiple goals in a single contest five times.

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 (0.947), is second in goals against average (0.68), tied for fourth in goals allowed (14) and is eighth in save percentage (0.778). Burger leads the Ivy League in all four categories as well.
• Across the first 20 starts of her career, Burger owns nine shutouts, as the school record for shutouts 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 conference 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 73 career appearances, Brough has 26 goals, 13 assists and 65 career points.

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 76 matches of her Crimson tenure, tallying eight goals, 19 assists and 35 points in the process. This season, Chapple leads the Crimson with seven assists.
• 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 recognition in 2022 and 2023.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT:

• Harvard's attack, which leads the Ivy League in goals scored (63) and goal differential (+40), is showcasing its talent and depth this season. The Crimson's 63 goals are the most in a season since 2018.
• Eight different Crimson have tallied multiple goals this season, as Piekarski leads the way with 16 goals and 32 points. le Huray is second with 13 goals and 32 points, as junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis is third with 11 goals and 28 points. This marks the first time since 2017 that three or more Crimson have scored double-digit goals in a single season.
• Harvard has multiple student-athletes with 30 or more points for just the second time during van Herwaarden's tenure, as the first occasion arrived during the 2017 season.
• Piekarski is the Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year alongside Yeager, as Piekarski is the first Crimson to receive the honor since 2019.
• Nationally, Harvard ranks ninth in scoring average (3.02), as the last time Harvard ended a season in the top 10 in scoring average was the 2018 season.

IRON SHARPENS IRON:

• Over the course of the 2025 season, the Crimson tested itself against some of the nation's top sides this season.
• Harvard is 8-1 against ranked opponents this season, owning a +12-goal differential against ranked sides.
• In the NCAA RPI, Harvard is 10-1 against teams in the top-20, allowing just seven goals against those teams.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS:

• While it will not face an unranked opponent this weekend, Harvard has won 95 straight games against unranked foes.
• The last loss against an unranked opponent arrived on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, a 3-1 defeat against UMass.
• Harvard is 10-0 against unranked teams this year.

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