Field Hockey Looks to Defend Ivy League Tournament Title

No. 11 Harvard field hockey has had a dominant season. While not unexpected given its deep bench and impressive lineup of returning players, the team is hungrier than ever for a chance to defend its title of Ivy League Tournament Champions.

No. 13 Princeton (14-4, 7-0 Ivy) derailed the Crimson’s hopes of hosting the tournament in Cambridge, after a showdown in October that ended with an overtime heartbreak for Harvard. Not only did the loss quash any hopes for the team being crowned the outright regular-season champion, but it also set a fire under the girls as it quieted the team’s cheers on its 50th anniversary of incorporation as a Division-I Harvard team.

Ending the season with a notable 13-3 record, the team will travel down to Princeton this weekend to face off against Brown (9-7, 4-3 Ivy) in the semifinals on Friday. As the second seed to Princeton’s first, the two teams might ultimately clash for the second time this calendar year if both advance over their lower-seeded opponents to Sunday’s matchup. After the devastating loss earlier this season, the Crimson team will be gunning to redeem itself. The team is aiming to earn the title of back-to-back Ivy League Tournament Champions and guarantee itself a spot in the NCAA bracket in the process.

Harvard has considerable momentum going into the tournament, coming off of a three-game win streak against competitive Ancient Eight teams and, notably, No. 4 Saint Joseph's (15-3, 6-1 A10). Most recently, the Crimson stoutly defended the Berylson Family Field, earning a 4-0 win against Cornell (7-9, 3-4 Ivy) in its final regular season game. With the win, Harvard firmly ended the Big Red’s dreams of a playoff berth, and gave its graduating class a victory to celebrate on senior day.

Both goalkeepers, captain Sofia Castore and junior Tessa Shahbo, contributed largely to the shutout. Shahbo specifically tallied six saves, a few of which were worthy of her highlight reel, as the game clock dwindled down to zero. In general, Harvard’s defensive unit played tough, preventing the Big Red from capitalizing on any of its eight penalty corner opportunities.

37 scoreless minutes defined the first three quarters of the game. While the team was able to stymie any hope of a Cornell breakaway, the Harvard offense had trouble creating momentum of its own. It was not until the back-to-back strikes from Piekarski that the team was able to start swinging with full force. If the team hopes to gain an edge over the Bears and possibly the Tigers this weekend, it cannot let another slow start plague the turf.

Around 15 minutes after her first, Piekarski struck again for the Crimson, firing a shot almost from the goalline that defied physics, sneaking over goalkeeper Martha Broderick’s pads and flying into the back of the net. Three minutes later, freshman Martha le Huray sent home a shot of her own, extending Harvard’s lead to three and tallying her first-ever collegiate goal. While the crowd was still cheering for le Huray, Fiene Oerlemans added another goal and sealed the 4-0 win for the home team. This surge of winning energy could not have come at a better time for Harvard, which looks to hand Brown another loss this weekend.

Previously this season, on Sept. 28, Harvard ventured down to Providence to compete against the Bears on the Goldberger Family Field. The Crimson defeated Brown solidly, with a final score of 4-0. From an offensive perspective the team excelled in Rhode Island. Four different players – Oerlemans, junior Kate Oliver, Lara Beekhuis, and Piekarski – each added a tally to the scoreboard. Harvard pummeled Brown’s goalkeeper Kylee Del Monte with shots, firing an impressive total of 18 throughout the match. The defense, powered by First Team All-Ivy Bronte May-Bourgh, recorded similarly admirable statistics, keeping the Bears to a mere six shots, only four of which made it through to Shahbo during the contest.

However, the upcoming semifinal match is certainly not one to be overlooked by Harvard. Since facing off against the Crimson in September, the Bears have recorded a winning 9-2 record, only posting losses against Cornell and Princeton – the latter of which is the first seed in the tournament this weekend. Harvard, therefore, must be prepared to take on a more confident and experienced Brown team than the one it defeated earlier this fall.

“Our preparation has been strong, and we are looking forward to the tournament,” captain Emily Guckian assured. “We have built some confidence coming off the back of strong wins against Ivy League opponents and top-ranked St. Joseph’s.”

While the Bears are not to be underestimated, Harvard is entering this tournament as the highest-ranked team in national standings, yet is only the second seed, losing the first to the hosts Princeton. The Tigers remain undefeated in league play and will prove to be a tough opponent for Columbia (6-9, 3-4 Ivy) in the other semifinal match. The Crimson has already beat Columbia handily once this semester, 9-3, last month in a thrashing that showcased Harvard’s offensive powerhouses. While the Crimson will cherish a potential rematch victory against the tournament’s host, a game against the fourth-seeded Lions would be wished for to pave an easier path to the NCAA postseason tournament.

Harvard, led by Head Coach Tjerk van Herwaarden, strives to make another deep run in the national tournament after falling in the elite eight to the eventual champions, the No. 1 seed UNC, last fall. If the team succeeds, it will mark the third time in the last four seasons that it qualifies for the NCAAs, cementing the Crimson as a national force to be reckoned with. That being said, to guarantee itself a spot in the bracket, the team must first beat Brown and then the winner of the Princeton versus Columbia game.

“We are excited to take on Brown on Friday and have the opportunity to advance to the final on Sunday,” said Guckian, keeping in mind that the team’s mission is to “have a chance to secure a spot in the NCAAs.”

While there is potential for the Ancient Eight team to secure a wild card bid into the bracket, the winner of the Ivy League tournament is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament at large. So, this weekend is make or break as the Crimson continues fighting for the opportunity to play another day of field hockey.

—Staff writer Isabel Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com.