CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's soccer will close out its three-match season opening homestand this Thursday, August 27 against Fairfield at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Crimson will then hit the road for its first away contest against Syracuse on Sunday, August 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
- The Crimson is searching for its first win of the season after falling to Stony Brook and UMass in the first two matches of the year.
- Each match has been a tale of two halves. Against Stony Brook, the Crimson fell behind 2-0 in the first half but then controlled most of the second half, nearly coming back with a late match goal from Brooke Huleatt.
- Then against UMass the Crimson stormed out to a 3-0 advantage at the half before the Minutewomen controlled the second half and won 4-3.
- Against UMass, Ólöf Kristinsdóttir scored two goals through the first 13 minutes of the contest marking the faster player to score two goals in a singles game since Midge Purce '17 in 2015 against Yale.
- Jasmine Leshnick finished Monday's contest with three points after assisting on Kristindóttir's second goal and knocking in her own penalty kick goal.
- The two matches featured the Harvard debuts of the two goalies. Starting in goal during the season opener, transfer goalkeeper Nicole Bidun made her debut and tallying two saves against the Seawolves. The following match, Olivia Busby saw her first collegiate action and made four saves against UMass.
What to Know
- Chris Hamblin, The Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Soccer, is in his 11th season at the helm of Harvard's program. Hamblin owns an 86-43-20 overall record with the Crimson, including a 37-16-10 record in Ivy League play.
- Anna Rayhill, Ólöf Kristinsdóttir, and Irena Héðinsdóttir Gonzalez were selected as captains ahead of the 2026 season. Rayhill is in her second consecutive year as a captain of the Crimson.
- Rayhill also received preseason recognition by being named to the 2026 United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Positional Players to Watch List for Defenders.
Season Overview
- The Crimson plays its first three games on Jordan Field before going on a three-match road swing to face the Orange, Boston University (Sept. 2), and Alabama (Sept. 6).
- Following the three-match road stretch the Crimson will have just three remaining non-conference matches. The three matches will include Northeastern (Sept. 10), New Hampshire (Sept. 13), and UConn (Sept. 20).
- Harvard will then begin its quest for an Ivy League title and will play Cornell (Oct. 3), Yale (Oct. 17), and Columbia (Nov. 7) on its home field while traveling to Princeton (Sept. 26), Dartmouth (Oct. 10), Brown (Oct. 24), and Penn (Oct. 31).
2025 in Review
- Harvard graduated five seniors after its 2025 campaign but returned valuable production.
- The Crimson returned 92% of its scoring, 74% of its total minutes played, and five All-Ivy selections from 2025.
- Jasmine Leshnick and Anna Rayhill return to lead the offensive charge after finishing with a team-high four goals each last season.
Scouting the Stags
- The Stags are 2-1-1 through the first four matches of the season.
- After falling in the first game of the season to No. 8 UNC, the Stags responded with wins over UMass Lowell and Boston University.
- Most recently, the Stags tied the Scarlet Knights 0-0.
- Ella Pisani has been leading the offensive charge for Fairfield having accounted for half of the team's goals.
- Alyssa Gluting has started all four games in goal and has totaled 14 saves.
Scouting the Orange
- The Orange are 3-0-1 through their first four matches of the season.
- After tying Villanova 0-0 in the season opener the Orange have defeated Holy Cross, Northwestern, and most recently Princeton.
- Vickie Jones has led the offensive attack in the first four matches, recording three goals.
- Maya Naimoli has started all four matches for the Orange and has allowed just one goal while making 13 saves.
Next Up
The Crimson will return to the Boston area to face crosstown rival Boston University on Thursday, September 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
