CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After a stellar opening weekend that saw a pair of wins against Stanford and Cal, No. 8 Harvard field hockey returns to the pitch this weekend to face its first ranked opponents of the 2025 season.

Harvard welcomes No. 12 Ohio State to Berylson Field on Friday, Sept. 12 for the Crimson's home opener. The showdown between the Crimson and Buckeyes is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start and will air live on ESPN+. Admission to Berylson Field is free of charge.  

The weekend concludes with a trip to Storrs, Connecticut on Sunday, Sept. 14, as Harvard meets No. 16 UConn at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. The match will start at 1 p.m. and will stream live on UCONN+.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• The Crimson enter the weekend with a 2-0 record, picking up dramatic wins against Cal and Stanford on the road to start the year. Harvard is 8-2 in its last 10 matches.
• In the season opener against the Golden Bears, Harvard outlasted the hosts in overtime, 2-1. Senior midfielder and team captain Kitty Chapple opened the scoring in the latter stages of the first half, as Cal evened the score in the third with a strike from sophomore forward and the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year Liz Klompmaker. After a scoreless fourth quarter, junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis ended the contest with her ninth career game-winning goal.
• Harvard battled back to earn its second win of the year against Stanford, defeating the Cardinal, 3-2, after a penalty shootout. Stanford's junior midfielder Kate Nemec put the hosts ahead in the first quarter, as a third quarter surge highlighted by goals from junior forward Sage Piekarski and sophomore midfielder Tilly Butterworth put Harvard ahead heading into the fourth. Stanford equalized in the fourth, as 20 minutes of scoreless overtime action led to a shootout. After posting five saves in regulation, first-year goalkeeper Linde Burger was vital in the win, stopping three shots in the shootout to provide Harvard the win.
• After two stellar starts between the posts in her first collegiate appearances, Burger garnered Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• The Crimson own the No. 8 spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's latest National Coaches Poll. Harvard is the highest ranked Ivy League program this week, joined by conference rival No. 11 Princeton.
• Harvard's captains for the 2025 season are Chapple and senior midfielder Fiene Oerlemans.
• Head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden is in his 13^th season at the helm of the Crimson field hockey program. The 2023 Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 149-67 record during his time as Harvard's head coach.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:

• No. 12 Ohio State brings a 2-2 record to Berylson Field this weekend. After taking down Ball State and Kent State to start the campaign, Ohio State dropped back-to-back one-goal decisions against No. 3 Virginia and No. 11 Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• Ohio State currently leads the Big Ten in shots (83) and ranks second in goals scored (17), as graduate forward Makenna Webster leads the way with 10 goals and 22 points.
• The defending BIG EAST champions, No. 16 UConn posted a 2-1 over its first three contests of 2025. After surviving a late fourth quarter push against New Hampshire in the season opener, the Huskies fell to No. 9 Saint Joseph's in a shootout. UConn bounced back the next week with a 3-2 win over Brown. Before hosting the Crimson, UConn takes on No. 18 Rutgers.
• Freshman forward Pien Prins currently leads the Huskies in goals (3) and points (6).

SERIES HISTORY:

• Harvard and Ohio State meet on the field hockey pitch for the first time ever on Friday.
• One of the Crimson's longest-standing rivalries, Harvard and UConn will faceoff for the 37^th time on Sunday. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 28-6-2, as Harvard has won the last two meetings.
• At Berylson Field last season, Harvard's attack paved a path to a 3-2 win against UConn. Piekarski, Beekhuis and Chapple all scored in the contests, as Harvard outshot UConn, 14-6.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME:

• Berylson Field is a fortress for the Crimson since the 2021 campaign.
• Dating back to the start of the 2021 season, Harvard owns a 29-4 record at home, the most wins on home turf in the Ivy League in that time period.
• All four of Crimson's losses at Berylson Field since 2021 arrived against ranked opponents (No. 15 Princeton in 2024, No. 19 UAlbany in 2024, No. 5 Duke in 2023, No. 15 UConn in 2022).

IRON SHARPENS IRON:

•  A key for the Crimson in recent seasons is a strong regular season schedule, as Harvard has faced numerous ranked opponents across the last four seasons.
• Last season saw the Crimson excel against ranked foes, posting five victories, scoring double digit goals in four of those wins.
• A highlight last year was a 2-1 overtime win against No. 5 Saint Joseph's, Harvard's first victory against a top-five opponent since 2018.

A CAREER TO REMEMBER:

• A focal point of the Crimson's defensive strategy, senior defender Bronte-May Brough is authoring a remarkable collegiate career.
• Across 54 appearances, Brough owns 20 career goals, 10 career assists and 50 career points. In 2024, Brough set a career-best in assists with six.
• A native of Uttoxeter, England, Brough is only the fourth student-athlete in program history to earn NFHCA All-America honors three or more times. Brough is looking to become only the second four-time All-American in school history, as Bente van Vlijmen '20 did so from 2016-19.

DYANMIC DUO:

• Beekhuis and Piekarski are one of the top attacking duos in the Ivy League.
• The 2024 campaign saw the pair lead a Crimson attack that ranked first in the Ivy League in goals scored with 53, marking the first time a Harvard squad led the Ivy League in scoring since 2019.
• A NFHCA Northeast All-Region First Team selection last year, Beekhuis led Harvard in scoring in 2023 and 2024, netting 10 goals in both campaigns. A native Laren, Netherlands, Beekhuis opened her account in the season opener with the overtime winner against Cal.
• A two-time All-Ivy League honoree, Piekarski has 18 goals, five assists and 41 points across 41 appearances. Piekarski scored the equalizing goal in Harvard's 3-2 shootout win against Stanford.

UP NEXT:

The Crimson open conference action on Friday, Sept. 19, as Harvard hosts Dartmouth for the Ivy League opener. First touch is slated for 4 p.m. as all the action will air live on ESPN+. Harvard then heads across town for noon meeting against Northeastern on Sunday, Sept. 21.

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