PRINCETON, N.J. – Two Ivies
– No. 10 Harvard and No. 13 Princeton both advanced to the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament second round with first-round wins on Friday afternoon, marking the second time in league history that two Ivies have reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Both teams will look to punch their tickets to the Final Four on Sunday.
Princeton (14-5), an at-large selection to the tournament, punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Boston College before Harvard, the Ivy League automatic qualifier, defeated No. 11 Syracuse, 1-0 in overtime. The win for Harvard marks its second-straight NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
In Princeton’s game against Boston College, the three-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Beth Yeager scored off a penalty corner late in the first quarter which was set up by Grace Schulze and Talia Schenck. The Tigers controlled much of the game and held Boston College to just one shot on goal, which was a crucial stop made by Robyn Thompson in the fourth quarter to hold off the Eagles.
Harvard and Syracuse was a deadlock the entire way through regulation as each team had just one shot on target during the first 60 minutes. In overtime, each team had their chances on a penalty corner but both keepers made a stop, including two by Crimson keeper Ellie Shahbo, to keep things scoreless. Harvard’s Laura Beekhuis ended things on the offensive end in the 67
th minute, dribbling past a defender and firing a revere shot past Syracuse’s Bo van Kempen.
Princeton’s quarterfinal matchup against Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia is at noon on Sunday while Harvard begins one hour later against UMass in Storrs at 1 p.m. Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+.