CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 3 Harvard field hockey gave its all on Berylson Field against No. 5 Princeton in the championship round of the 2025 Ivy League Tournament, as the Crimson fell just short against Tigers, 2-1, in its first defeat of the 2025 season.

After the Tigers earned the opening goal on a penalty stroke early in the second quarter, the Crimson responded just before the halftime break with a sensational strike from junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis. Princeton would score the game-winning goal in the third quarter on a penalty corner.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The opening moments of the Ivy League Tournament clash saw both teams control possession, as both Harvard (17-1, 7-0 Ivy League) and Princeton (15-3, 6-1) strung together passes and generated turnovers in the midfield.

The Crimson generated the first chance of the day. Senior midfielder and team captain Fiene Oerlemans fed a through pass to junior forward Sage Piekarski, as Piekarski spotted a run from Oerlemans into the circle, as Oerlemans' shot just drifted wide of the cage.

Neither side crafted the opening goal in the first quarter, as the scoreboard sat at 0-0 heading into the second period. Harvard logged the lone shot of the frame.

At the 12:17 mark in the second quarter, Princeton was awarded a penalty stroke, as sophomore forward Pru Lindsey converted for the opening goal, 1-0.

The Crimson continued to battle, as Harvard leveled the scoreboard with just under three minutes left in the first half. Harvard capitalized on a quick restart, as Beekhuis controlled possession and found space in the circle, as she fired a lightning quick reverse shot past Princeton's junior keeper Olivia Caponiti to tie the score heading into halftime, 1-1.

At the end of the first half, The Crimson logged two shots, as the visitors also recorded two attempts in the opening half of the Ivy League Tournament Championship.

The second half from Berylson Field started with an action packed third quarter. 4 minutes and 43 seconds into the second half, the Tigers were awarded its second penalty stroke of the afternoon. First-year goalkeeper Linde Burger stood tall, as she denied Princeton's senior midfielder Beth Yeager from the spot. Two minutes later, Princeton pulled ahead with a goal from Yeager on a penalty corner.

Harvard continued to show fight to close out the third quarter, producing a pair of penalty corner chances in the final five minutes of the frame. After Oerlemans saw her strike get illegally blocked for another penalty corner, Beekhuis almost pulled the Crimson level again on the next corner as her shot forced a save from Caponiti.

The third quarter saw the Crimson tally two shots compared to three, as Harvard headed into the fourth quarter down 2-1 against the Tigers.

Harvard pushed the Tigers to the brink in the fourth quarter in search of the equalizing goal, as the Crimson tallied five shots while holding Princeton to zero attempts in the fourth. In the last two minutes of regulation, the Crimson earned a pair of penalty corners but just missed out on producing the leveling score.

The Crimson outshot the Tigers, 9-5, in the 2025 Ivy League Tournament Championship, as Beekhuis now has 11 goals this season.

HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

• Senior midfielder Kitty Chapple, senior defender Bronte-May Brough and Beekhuis earn 2025 Ivy League All-Tournament Team honors.
• Beekhuis has now scored 11 goals this season, marking a career-high for goals in a single season for the 2023 Ivy League Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
• Harvard outshoots its opponent for the 17^th time this season.
• The Crimson hold an opponent to five or less shots for the sixth time this season.

UP NEXT:

The official bracket for the 2025 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament will be unveiled tonight at 10 p.m. with the selection show on NCAA.com.

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