CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A pair of intrastate rivals travel to Berylson Field for matchups against No. 3 Harvard field hockey, as the Crimson will face No. 12 UMass and Boston College this weekend.

Harvard and UMass renew their rivalry at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, as the Crimson and the Eagles face off for the first time since 2019 at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13. Both contests will air live on ESPN+ as admission to Berylson Field is free of charge.

CRIMSON UPDATES

• Harvard is 2-0 to start the 2026 season, taking down both UMass Lowell and No. 9 UConn at home last weekend.
• Five different Crimson found the back of the cage in a 5-1 victory against UMass Lowell on opening day. After a scoreless first quarter, sophomore forward Lucy Barker, junior midfielder and team captain Tilly Butterworth and senior forward Sage Piekarski all scored goals in the second quarter, as first-year forward Evie Smith and senior midfielder and team captain Lara Beekhuis both scored goals in the second half.
• The Crimson wrapped opening weekend by outlasting UConn, 1-0, in a defensive stalemate for its first top 10 win of the season. After the first three quarters went scoreless, Harvard converted on an attacking penalty corner for the win, as Beekhuis recorded the 12^th game-winning goal of her Crimson career.
• With the victory against the Huskies, Harvard now has a win against at least one top-10 opponent in the last four seasons.
• A native of Laren, Netherlands, Beekhuis' 12 career game-winning goals are the most among active Crimson.
• With the pair of victories, Harvard has now won 21 consecutive regular season contests, a winning streak that dates back to October 25^th, 2024.
• Harvard's team captains this season are Beekhuis and Butterworth. In the 2025 season, Beekhuis and Butterworth combined for 16 goals, seven assists and 39 points, as they both scored goals in the season opening matches last weekend.
• Head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden is in his 14^th season with the Crimson. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 168-69 record at the helm of Harvard field hockey.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

• UMass brings a perfect 4-0 record to Berylson Field this Friday. Last weekend saw the Minutewomen cruise to victories against Boston University and UMass Lowell last weekend, beating both sides by a combined score of 8-2 at Gladchuck Field Hockey Complex.
• Seven different Minutewomen have scored goals this season, as first-year forward Amber Fairon leads the team with five goals.
• Boston College owns a 1-3 record in the early portion of the 2026 season, as the Eagles won its opener against Providence and followed with three-straight losses against UAlbany, No. 13 Maryland and No. 1 Northwestern.
• Sophomore Alex de Cain and senior Klara Mueffelmann are tied for the team lead in both goals (2) and points (4).

SERIES HISTORY

• Meeting on the field hockey pitch for a fourth consecutive season, UMass leads the all-time series against Harvard, 16-11-1. The two programs first met in 1980, as Harvard owns a 5-1 record across the last six contests of the series.
• Last season saw Harvard make the journey west to Amherst, as the Crimson earned a pivotal 1-0 win in the late stages of the 2025 regular season. After three scoreless quarters, junior midfielder Martha le Huray scored the game winning goal with under six minutes to go.
• Facing off for the first time since the 2019 campaign, Boston College leads the all-time series, 13-23-1.
• Harvard and Boston College are squaring off in the month of September for the first time since 2012.

ON THE ATTACK

• A key for the Crimson attack is experience, as Harvard returns its top three goal scorers from the 2025 season.
• Piekarski, le Huray and Beekhuis all return to the starting lineup after logging career-bests in both points and goals last season.
• Harvard returns 53 goals scored from the 2025 season, the highest tally in the Ivy League heading into the 2026 season.
• Beekhuis picked up right where she left off in 2025, scoring two goals in her first two starts, while Piekarski scored a goal in the season opener against the Riverhawks.
• In just two contests, five different Crimson scored goals, as nine different Crimson have already recorded at least one point.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

• Crimson first-years are already contributing on the pitch, as a pair of first-years appeared in the starting lineups against UMass Lowell and UConn.
• Smith scored her first career goal in the second half against UMass Lowell, as Smith also showcased her dribbling and ball progression talent in the two contests last weekend.
• Anchoring the Crimson defense, first-year defender Elin van Sante helped the Crimson backline shine, as van Sante, along with senior defender Smilla Klas and junior midfielder Paige Cornelius held UConn scoreless in the 1-0 victory as the Huskies only recorded two shots on goal.

BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Sophomore goalkeeper Linde Burger is already excelling in goal for the Crimson.
• After allowing just one goal in the season opener against UMass Lowell, Burger posted the 10^th shutout of her Crimson career against UConn, securing the win with two vital saves in last five minutes of regulation.
• In her first season minding the net for Harvard, Burger garnered Ivy League Rookie of the Year and NFHCA All-America Third Team honors after leading the nation in goals against average (0.70) and ranking 10th in save percentage (0.769).

POLL POSITION

• Harvard held steady at No. 3 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll this week, matching the highes ranking in program history. The Crimson started at No. 4 in the preseason iteration of the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the highest preseason ranking in school history.
• The Crimson has now spent 12 consecutive weeks inside the top five of the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the longest streak in school history and the longest active streak in the Ivy League.
• Seven of the Crimson's opponents this season are ranked in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll: No. 4 Princeton, No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 10 UConn, No. 12 UMass, No. 15 Syracuse, No. 18 Yale, No. 19 Monmouth. Harvard is 1-0 against ranked foes this season and is 10-2 in its last 12 contests against ranked opponents.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

• Dating back to the 2016 season, Harvard is maintaining a 96-game winning streak against unranked foes.
• The last loss against an unranked foe arrived on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, a 3-1 defeat against UMass.
• During the 2025 campaign, Harvard went 9-0 against unranked teams.

UP NEXT

Harvard hits the road for the first time this season next weekend, opening Ivy League play at Dartmouth on Friday, Sept. 18, as the Crimson return to Cambridge for a showdown against Northeastern on Sunday, Sept. 20. Both matches will air live on ESPN+ as all the action will air live on ESPN+.

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