CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 10 Harvard field hockey writes a new chapter in a storied rivalry on Saturday, Sept. 26, as the Crimson square-off against No. 10 Princeton in a pivotal Ivy League showdown.

Pushback between Harvard and Princeton takes place at 11 a.m., as admission to Berylson Field is free of charge. Crimson fans can also catch all the action live on ESPN+.

CRIMSON UPDATES

• Harvard brings a 5-1 record into this weekend's highly anticipated matchup against Princeton, as the Crimson has won three-straight matches.
• Chase Field in Hanover, New Hampshire was the setting for the Crimson's Ivy League opener last weekend, as Harvard defeated Dartmouth, 2-1.
• Junior midfielder and team captain Tilly Butterworth opened the scoring within the first seven minutes of the match, as sophomore midfielder Rosa Kooijmans doubled the advantage in the second quarter with her first goal of the 2026 season.
• Dartmouth would pull a goal back in the second half, as the Crimson would halt the Big Green comeback. Harvard took 29 shots across 60 minutes against Dartmouth, just allowing two shots in the contest as well.
• The weekend concluded with a 1-0 shootout win against crosstown foe Northeastern. The Sunday matinee against the Huskies followed a similar script to Friday's match, as the Crimson dominated possession and allow limited opportunities in the defensive half.
• Across 75 minutes of action, Harvard recorded 20 shots, holding the visitors to just one shot on the day. In the shootout, Butterworth secured the win by making the final attempt in the shootout, as the Harvard is now 3-0 in its last three shootout contests.
• After a stellar defensive showing that saw Harvard only allow three shots across 135 minutes of action, first-year defender Elin van Sante took Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• Harvard ranks second nationally in penalty corners per game (10.0) this season.
• Butterworth and senior midfielder Lara Beekhuis are Harvard's team captains this season. During the 2025 season, Beekhuis and Butterworth combined for 16 goals, seven assists and 39 points, as the two have combined for five goals and 11 points this year.
• Head Coach/The Ragatz Family Harvard Coach of Excellence Tjerk van Herwaarden is in his 14^th season at the helm of the Harvard field hockey program. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden is 171-70 in his Crimson career.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

• Princeton, ranked eighth in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association's National Coaches Poll, takes a 4-2 record to Berylson Field this weekend.
• Last weekend saw the Tigers win its Ivy opener, 1-0, against Penn on the road, as Princeton fell to UConn, 2-1, losing in a penalty shootout.
• Junior forward Pru Lindsey leads Princeton in goals (4) and points (8) this season, as head coach Carla Tagliente is in her 10^th season with the Tigers.

SERIES HISTORY

• One of the most legendary rivalries in recent collegiate field hockey history, Princeton leads the all-time series, 44-12-2.
• Last season saw Harvard and Princeton meet on the pitch a series-record three times. The Crimson won the regular season meeting, 3-1, as Princeton would take the postseason wins in the Ivy League Tournament and the NCAA Tournament Semifinals.
• Since 2021, Harvard is 5-4 against Princeton, as three of those seven contests went into overtime.
• Either Harvard or Princeton has won the Ivy League regular season title since 2012, as the two programs have alternated winning the Ivy League championship since the 2016 season.
• Harvard has not lost an Ivy League match against a team other than Princeton since 2015, Princeton has not lost an Ivy League match to a team other than Harvard since 2016.

LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES

• Harvard has excelled at limiting opposing shots taken this season.
• Across six matches, Harvard is only allowing 6.2 shots per game, as Harvard has allowed less than 10 shots in five of the six games this season.
• In its last 135 minutes on the pitch, Harvard has only allowed three shots and three penalty corners.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

• First years are already having a sizeable impact for the Crimson on the field hockey pitch this season.
• First-year forward Evie Smith has started all six matches for Harvard so far this season, scoring a goal in the season opener against UMass Lowell. In the shootout triumph against Northeastern, Smith score a pivotal shootout goal to lead Harvard to its third straight win.
• In the backline, van Sante is leading a unit that is one of the best in the nation in limiting shots from the opposition. With van Sante anchoring the defense, Harvard is only allowing 6.2 shots per game. After her stellar efforts in the wins against Dartmouth and Northeastern, van Sante earned Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.

POLL POSITION

• Harvard is No. 10 in the latest iteration of the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll.
• The Crimson has now spent 16 straight weeks in the top 10 of the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the longest streak in school history.
• Harvard is 1-1 against ranked opposition this season, as Harvard awaits five ranked opponents this season (No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 8 Princeton, No. 11 Syracuse, No. 15 Yale, No. 19 Monmouth).
• In the first version of the NCAA's rating percentage index, Harvard is currently ranked eighth, making Harvard the highest ranked program from the Ancient Eight.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

• Dating back to the 2016 season, Harvard is maintaining a 99-game winning streak against unranked foes.
• The last loss against an unranked opponent arrived on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, a 3-1 defeat against UMass.
• During the 2025 season, Harvard went 9-0 against unranked teams. This year, Harvard is 4-0 against unranked programs.

UP NEXT

After a seven-day break, Harvard is back on the road, as the Crimson head to Philadelphia, Pa. on Friday, Oct. 2 for a 2 p.m. meeting against Penn. Harvard then returns to Berylson Field on Sunday, Oct. 4 with a noon match against Wake Forest. Both matches will air live on ESPN+ as admission to Berylson Field is free of charge.

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