Thanks to Harvard junior goalkeeper Cynthia Tassopoulos’s stingy play in net, the Crimson field hockey team has jumped out to a 6-3 record, its best start since 2004, and is currently second in the Ivy League.

For two years, Harvard field hockey coach Sue Caples didn’t lose any sleep over who she had defending her team’s goal. As Cynthia Tassopoulos enters the heart of her junior season in net, it is the Crimson goalkeeper who now has opposing coaches tossing and turning.

Through nine games, Tassopoulos has posted the fifth highest save percentage in the nation while leading Harvard to a 6-3 record—its best start since 2004. Tassopoulos turned in her strongest performance of the year this past weekend, allowing just one goal in a pair of wins over Brown and Vermont.

“Cynthia is playing fabulously,” co-captain Georgia McGillivray said. “She is always very strong. She is our rock.”

Tassopoulos has started every game since her arrival at Harvard and finished her rookie campaign ranked seventh in the country with 8.82 saves per game.

“She came in incredibly solid,” co-captain Carly Dickson said.  “No one would have guessed that she was a freshman. She always looked like she had the experience.”

Building off the confidence she gained during her first season at the NCAA level, Tassopoulos continued to anchor the Crimson in goal as a sophomore. Playing every minute of every game during her second season, Tassopoulos garnered the team’s Most Valuable Player award and was selected to the All-Ivy second team.

“She is very solid, and she gives everyone confidence on the field,” Dickson said. “Everyone trusts her so much, and she is such a great leader on the field.”

Tassopoulos is once again playing a vital role for Harvard as a junior.  This past weekend was no exception, as she backed the team to home victories over Brown and Vermont. According to her teammates, it’s not only her goalkeeping abilities which make her a valuable asset, but also her communication skills.

“She is an authority on the field,” McGillivray said. “She plays a huge role not only making incredible saves, but she is constantly communicating and organizing us so we are all in the right place at the right time.”

On Saturday, the Crimson defeated the Bears, 4-0, as Tassopoulos recorded her second shutout of the year.  In the first half, Brown came on strong, utilizing its counter-attack to record 10 shots on goal. But Tassopoulos kept her team in control by stopping each and every attempt that came her way.

“I feel completely confident with my defense in front of me,” Tassopoulos said. “We have really been able to limit the number of shots and corners, which has been a great improvement from last year.”

Tassopoulos faced her biggest challenge of the weekend with 1:04 to go in the first half, when the Bears were awarded a penalty stroke.

But just like all the other shots she faced that afternoon, Tassopoulos turned the attempt away.

“I was trying to stay very calm,” Tassopoulos said. “We have been working on strokes during practice, so I felt good going into it. I felt like I was prepared. I was excited to keep us in the game [with the save].”

The crucial stop allowed Harvard to go into the half with newfound energy.

“The [penalty stroke save] was crazy,” McGillivray said.  “Strokes go in almost every time, and it was such a clutch save.  It is always incredible when goalies save penalty strokes, because it is very rare, and it causes a big shift in momentum.”

Tassopoulos didn’t ease up in the second half, finishing the day with a 12-save shutout and helping the Crimson capture the 4-0 victory.

On Sunday, Tassopoulos led her team to its fourth consecutive win at Jordan Field when the Crimson defeated the Catamounts in overtime, 2-1. Harvard dominated possession, while Tassopoulos held down the back, notching three saves and allowing only one goal.

“She has good game sense,” Dickson said. “She is great at getting the ball, and she is a smart player—always in a good position.”

The way she’s playing, look for Tassopoulos to keep giving opposing coaches nightmares for the foreseeable future.