CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- No. 7 Harvard field hockey earned a 1-0 win by penalty stroke, 3-2, over Northeastern at Berylson Field on Sunday afternoon. The win propelled the Crimson to 5-1 on the season, while the Huskies dropped to 2-5. The game marked Harvard's first overtime game of the season and first since a win over Ohio State last season as well as the first penalty stroke game since facing Stanford prior to the Buckeyes in 2025.
Harvard and Northeastern traded goals on their first and third shooters of penalty strokes. The Crimson's sophomore goalie
Linde Burger came up with her third save of the session to set up a chance for a game-winner. Junior captain
Tilly Butterworth stepped up for the shot and backed down the Northeastern goalie; moving right then left to finish on the backhand to secure the win.
Aiko Price was dominant between the pipes for Northeastern; providing eight saves plus two stops in penalty strokes. Burger, who face significantly less challenges in regulation and overtime, made two sprawling stops in penalty strokes, including the final NU try, which trickled past her, but ran out of time before crossing the goal line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team recorded a shot in the first quarter, but the momentum began to shift in Harvard's favor during the second quarter. The Crimson totaled five shots and three penalty corners in the second, but Price twice denied the home side to keep the game scoreless at the intermission.
Just past the midway point of overtime, Northeastern's Maddie Funk was shown a yellow card; leaving Harvard on a player advantage for much of the remainder of the extra frame. The Huskies survived Funk's absence and even generated the best goal-scoring chance of the five-minute window before returning to even strength.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
• Early in the fourth quarter, Harvard put the pressure on Northeastern with back-to-back chances on penalty corners. Price turned away a shot from
Lara Beekhuis and
Lucy Barker's shot was blocked.
• Past the midway point of the fourth,
Tilly Butterworth had a chance off a corner, but the shot went wide. Moments later,
Martha le Huray had a strong opportunity in the slot that was saved by Price.
• A penalty corner followed le Huray's attempt, Harvard's ninth penalty corner of the game, and
Elin van Sante's try went wide.
• Less than four minutes into overtime, Harvard had two more chances on back-to-back penalty corners. Butterworth's shot was saved by Price before the NU goalie made a sprawling stop to keep Beekhuis' attempt out of the cage and the rebound, which was right in front of the net, was swiftly swiped away by the defense.
• Northeastern broke out late in overtime and got a shot toward the net that was deflected, but ultimately saved by Burger; the first time she was challenged in over 70 minutes of action.
UP NEXT
Harvard, coming off a win in its Ivy League opener Friday against Dartmouth, jumps back into conference play at home against Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Noon ET.
Â
