CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A new season has finally arrived for Harvard Women's Soccer. The Crimson will officially open the 2025 campaign this Sunday with a non-conference tilt against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The 1:00 PM kickoff will feature the regional rivals clashing for the second consecutive season live on ESPN+.
 
Harvard hopes to start strong out of the gates in 2025 as it begins its chase for a third-consecutive Ivy League Tournament spot with the ultimate goal of an Ivy League Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
 

WHAT TO KNOW

 

2024 Rewind

• Harvard opens its 2025 campaign after posting a 7-4-5 record a year ago.
• The Crimson went unbeaten in non-conference play during the 2024 season, registering a 4-0-4 mark in non-Ivy League action.
• It was only the second time in program history that Harvard did not have a loss in non-league play, both times coming under Coach Hamblin.
• Despite battling a number of injuries and adversity during the season, Harvard qualified for the Ivy League Tournament for the second consecutive season after two thrilling victories to end the season at Penn and against Yale in the finale.

 

The Returners

• Harvard returns a group of experienced and talented players to the roster in 2024 including All-Ivy League selections Rhiannon Stewart, Ólöf Kristinsdóttir and Audrey Francois.
• Defenders Erin Gordon and August Hunter will also be back in the mix on the backline, after starting every game together last season.
• Sophomore forward, Lauren Muniz, will be back on the attack for Harvard and held the most points for a returning player last season.

 

The First-Years

• Harvard's talented first-year Class of 2029 includes forward Kennedy Belfon (Whitby, Ontario), defender Phoebe Chadwick (Stoke-on-Trent, England), midfielder Hannah Eftekhari (San Diego, Calif.), defender Danicka Miller (Arlington, Va.), forward Kendra Santiago (New Bedford, Mass.), midfielder Elsa Santos López (Valdemoro, Spain), goalkeeper Sophie Fleishman (Newton, Mass.) and midfielder Caroline Studebaker (Fall City, Wash.).
• The group hopes to make an immediate impact when the team hits the field this weekend.

 

Road Warriors

• In addition to its success at home, Harvard has been a formidable opponent on the road in the past five seasons.
• The team has posted a 23-5-9 record in away fixtures dating back to the 2019 season, including two seasons (2021 and 2022) with unbeaten marks on the road.
• Harvard will play only five road games this season including two to begin the 2025 campaign.

 

Battle for Massachusetts

• Harvard will play three teams located in its home state of Massachusetts during the 2025 season including UMass, Northeastern and Boston University.
• In program history, Harvard women's soccer holds an 85-44-16 record against teams located in the Commonwealth and a 11-6-3 mark under Coach Hamblin.

 

Series History Against Massachusetts

• This match between the Crimson and the Minutewomen will be the 32^nd meeting in the series history. UMass holds a slight edge in the series with a 13-15-3 mark against Harvard.
• The scales have tilted towards the Crimson, however, in the last 10 matchups with Harvard holding a 7-2-1 record against its in-state foe.
• Under Coach Hamblin, the Crimson holds a 2-0-1 mark against UMass.
• The teams last met on the pitch a year ago, with the result being a deadlocked tie at 0-0. Harvard outshot UMass 17-7 and attempted 10 corner kicks to the Minutewomen's total of one but could not find the twine in the tie. Rhiannon Stewart put forth an incredible effort between the posts in the contest, saving all three shots that came her way to post a clean sheet.

 

Scouting UMass

• The University of Massachusetts Minutewomen have already played two games in 2025 and hold a 1-1-0 record after the start. The team first beat St. John's before falling to NJIT this past Thursday (Aug. 21).
• First-year defender/midfielder Amelia Deren owns the lone goal to the campaign.
• Redshirt first-year Leah Nisenfeld has started both games between the posts and has made 10 saves while allowing three goals.

 

Up Next

The Crimson will be back on the road for its next matchup against Fairfield on Friday (Aug. 29). The 6:00 PM matchup will air live on ESPN+.