CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Top-seeded Harvard and second-seeded Princeton each turned in dominant semifinal performances on Friday at Berylson Field to advance to Sunday’s Ivy League Tournament Championship — a rematch of last year’s tournament final and a battle for the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
All four teams in today's semifinals are ranked in the NFHCA top-20 – No. 3 Harvard, No. 5 Princeton, No. 16 Yale, and No. 19 Brown. Today's results set up a top-five showdown on Sunday afternoon.
Semifinal No. 1: No. 1 Harvard 2, No. 4 Brown 0
Harvard set the tone early and never looked back in its 2–0 win over fourth-seeded Brown.
Junior
Sage Piekarski opened the scoring late in the first quarter, deftly redirecting a feed from
Martha le Huray into the back of the cage. Midway through the second,
Lara Beekhuis added insurance with a strike that doubled the Crimson’s lead.
Goalkeeper
Linde Burger was sharp between the pipes, making five saves to record the shutout as Harvard edged Brown 12–10 in total shots. The Bears’
Ellie Parker kept her team in contention with six saves of her own.
Semifinal No. 2: No. 2 Princeton 3, No. 3 Yale 0
Princeton wasted no time in asserting control, scoring less than five minutes into the game when
Pru Lindsey pounced on a rebound to make it 1–0.
The Tigers extended their lead before halftime as
Anna Faulstich buried a clean finish and
Beth Yeager capped the scoring in the third quarter with a textbook goal off a Princeton penalty corner.
Defensively, Princeton was strong, holding Yale to just three total shots.
Olivia Caponiti earned the shutout in goal, while
Amelie Schwarzkopf made three saves for the Bulldogs.
Up Next:
For the third straight year, Harvard and Princeton will square off for the Ivy League Tournament title and the league’s automatic NCAA bid. The championship match is set for
Sunday at 12 p.m. at Berylson Field and will be streamed live on
ESPN+.