CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Men's Soccer will open the 2026-27 regular season this week with an in-state showdown against the University of Massachusetts. The Crimson (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Ivy) will take on the Minutemen (1-0-1, 0-0-0 Summit) will meet on the pitch for the first time since the 2014 season when the sides clash this Friday night (Aug. 28) on Jordan Field. Kick time is set for 6:00 PM and all the action from the match will air live on ESPN+.
 

What to Know

Series History Against UMass

• The season opening match will be Harvard's 25^th all-time meeting with the Minutemen, a series that dates to the 1975 season.
• Overall, Harvard owns an 18-3-3 advantage in the all-time series against Massachusetts including an 8-1-1 record on its home pitch.
• The Crimson is unbeaten in the last 10 meetings with an unblemished 9-0-1 mark.
• Harvard has scored 48 goals in the series, compared to the UMass total of 24.
• The Crimson have held UMass to one goal or fewer in 18 of 24 matches.
• UMass has never scored more than two goals in any matchup with Harvard.
• Harvard has not lost to UMass since a 1-0 road defeat in 1985. Since then, the Crimson are 11-0-2 with a 25-11 scoring advantage and on a 13-match unbeaten streak.

Scouting UMass

• The UMass Minutemen enter its second season as a part of the Summit League, joining the conference prior to the 2025 campaign.
• The Minutemen have had an impressive start to the 2026 campaign with a pair of results over ranked opponents. In its season opener, the side drew No. 10 Bryant (Aug. 20), 2-2, before knocking off the No. 24 UConn Huskies, 3-1, this past Sunday.  
• Sophomore midfielder Thomas Wadas scored two goals in the upset over UConn and leads the team in the category early in the season. The side has had four different players pocket goals in the first two matches while six players own points.
• Goalkeeper Dean Linden started both matchups in goal and has made 12 saves while allowing just three goals to opponents.
• In 2025, the team posted a 6-5-6 record, good for a fifth-place finish in the Summit League table.
• UMass outscored its opponents 27-21 a year ago, tallying 1.59 goals per contest.
• The Minutemen will need to replace its top-three goal scorers from a season ago, after the trio graduated in May.
• UMass only returns 25.9-percent of its goal scoring from a year ago and 30.7-percent of its point production.

New Faces in Crimson

• Harvard University Men's Soccer welcomed six first-years to the program for the 2026 season as part of the Class of 2030.
• The four midfielders, forward and goalkeeper round out a class that has received recognition from around the league, region, state and nation.
  • Tobias Barnas | Midfielder | 6-foot-1 | Malinovo, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Gil de Souza | Midfielder | 6-foot-0 | New York, N.Y.
  • Kiko Elliott | Midfielder | 6-foot-1 | Santa Barbara, Calif.
  • Andreas Engle | Forward/Midfielder | 6-foot-2 | Edina, Minn.
  • Jan Hejna | Goalkeeper | 6-foot-8 | Montclair, N.J.
  • Arnav Maskey | Midfielder | 6-foot-0 | Madison, Alabama

Bringing Back the Firepower

• Harvard men's soccer will return a veteran lineup of players to its lineup in 2026 after graduating nine seniors this past May.
• The Crimson returns players that make up 96-percent of its goals, assists and points total from a season ago. That total is the highest in the conference and one of the highest totals in the NCAA.
• Harvard will also return 72-percent of the team's minutes from 2025, one of the highest totals in the Ivy League.
• Adam Poliakov - the team's leading scorer in 2025 - returns after a six-goal rookie campaign.
• Adreas Savva led the team with 13 points in 2025 and returns to captain the Crimson this Fall.
• Ben Kelly tied for the team lead with five assists last season and is back in the midfield this Fall.

Rookie of the Year

• Rising sophomore Adam Poliakov was honored with the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year award after registering six goals to lead the team
• The Englishman scored all six goals in a six-game stretch to end the season, scoring in all but one of the team's final six contests.
• A talented forward, Poliakov recorded his first career brace against Brown (Oct. 18), the difference in a 4-2 Crimson victory.

Against the Commonwealth

• Harvard will compete against four teams from Massachusetts this season in its 15-match schedule.
• The Crimson will compete against UMass (Aug. 28), BU (Sep. 22), Northeastern (Sep. 29) and Stonehill (Oct. 21) this Fall.
• In its history, Harvard owns a favorable 82-44-26 record against current Massachusetts Division I institutions.
• Under Josh Shapiro, Harvard is 8-5-6 against opponents from the Commonwealth.

Consistency is Key

• For the sixth consecutive season, Harvard men's soccer will be under the guidance of Head Coach Josh Shapiro with the help of assistant coaches Jordie Ciuffetelli and Bryan Harkin.
• The Crimson is 32-27-23 under the current coaching staff, who will look to help the team continue its upward climb in 2026.
• Shapiro has led Harvard to four straight top-four finishes in the Ivy League standings and two Ivy League Tournament appearances.

Savva, Tellado to Serve Team as 2026 Captains

• Harvard University men's soccer rising senior forwards Andreas Savva and Dylan Tellado are set to serve the Crimson as captains in 2026.
• This past season Savva earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy and CSC Academic All-District accolades after posting 13 points on four goals and five assists.
• In 2025, he led the team in points (13) and assists (five), while sitting in second in goals (four).
• For his career, Savva has played in 48 games with 31 starts, totaling 21 points on seven goals and seven assists.
• Tellado tallied 11 points on four goals and three assists in 2025, ranking second on the team in goals (four) and third in points (11).
• He has netted at least three goals in each of his first three seasons at Harvard. For his career, Tellado has played in 46 games with 31 starts, registering 26 points on 11 goals and four assists.

Freese '22 Shines on the International Stage

• Harvard University men's soccer alumnus Matt Freese '22 represented the Red, White and Blue on the world stage this Summer after being called up to the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) FIFA World Cup squad. Freese was the first HMS alum to represent his nation on the World's Biggest Stage.
• The Pennsylvania native started two games in net for the American side in group play, claiming two wins over Paraguay (June 12) and Australia (June 19) before resting in the team's final match against Turkey (June 25).
• In 180 minutes, Freese only needed to make three saves but anchored the defensive effort in two dominant showings by the United States squad.
• In the Knockout Stage, Freese helped the USMNT make history by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance to the Round of 16, where the run eventually came to an end with a loss to Belgium.
• Freese's name has already been added to the USMNT World Cup record book after his strong start in the 2026 World Cup. The goalkeeper's two wins are now tied for the most by an American goalkeeper at the World Cup and is just one win away from standing alone atop the record book.  

Up Next

Harvard men's soccer will hit the road this weekend when it heads to the Midwest for a power four matchup against the University of Notre Dame. The Crimson and the Irish are set to clash on Monday (Aug. 31) in South Bend at 7:30 PM with all the action airing live on ACC Network Xtra.