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The Harvard women’s soccer team was back in action last Thursday night, continuing its trend of road games this season with a match-up against the Milwaukee Panthers. After a slow start in its first of two games in the Midwest, the Crimson delivered a commanding 4-2 victory over Milwaukee, followed by a hard-fought 1-1 tie with Northwestern in Evanston.
Harvard entered the game with Milwaukee remaining undefeated, and fresh off of a hard fought game against the Pepperdine Waves which ended in a 1-1 tie. Meanwhile, Milwaukee was looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Wisconsin the week before.
The game began with a similar start to the previous game for the Crimson, as junior keeper Rhiannon Stewart was relied upon early to make a number of saves from the aggressive Milwaukee offense. Within the first 15 minutes of action, Stewart had already saved three shots, preparing her for a shootout between the teams.
Harvard's first shot attempt came from sophomore Anna Rayhill, at the 11 minute mark, as she fired a shot from outside the box that couldn’t quite find the left side of the net. The shot did not leave the Crimson hopeless, however, as it sought to continue to build momentum on the offensive end.
Indeed, Harvard continually hunted the attacking third of Milwaukee's defense in order to create scoring opportunities. Sophomore Jasmine Leshnick and senior Jade Rose spearheaded this drive for a goal, as they each found solid looks on goal deep in the Milwaukee zone, but could not convert.
Ultimately, just prior to the 30 minute mark, senior Lainey Higgins of the Panthers scored the first goal of the game, after a lead pass from her teammate Zoey Pagels glided right past the Crimson’s last defender. Despite it being the Crimson’s first deficit on the season, the team showed great resilience, marching back up the field to seize back control of the game.
Harvard created two corner kick opportunities in the following three minutes. Then, it was the team’s elder maven who stepped up for the Crimson in a big moment, as Jade Rose scored a stunning equalizer for Harvard. After an amazing nutmeg to get past her defender, Rose kicked a phenomenal ball deep outside the right side of the box, arching right over the Milwaukee keeper and coming down on the far left side of the net.
The goal didn’t just leave the fans in attendance speechless. Rose earned national recognition for her incredible handles and shot-making, with the goal slotting in at the #1 spot on ESPN’s SportCenter Top 10 plays on Friday night. Rose, who represented the Canadian national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, recognized the significance of the goal in keying the team’s eventual victory.
“It was great to be able to get that goal for the team,” the senior said. “I felt like during that point in the game the momentum wasn’t really on our side and the goal helped swing it back in our direction. Anytime something big happens, whether that be a big tackle or a goal, it helps our team gain confidence and I think getting that goal gave the team the boost we needed to ultimately win the game.”
After the early exchange of scores between Harvard and Milwaukee in the first half, the teams ended the half tied 1-1. In the second half, Milwaukee raced up the field in the first thirty seconds in an attempt to erase the memory of Harvard's goal to end the first half, forcing Stewart to make another stop for the Crimson, as she would save her first shot of the half. With this save, Stewart had already accumulated five saves in the game barely 45 minutes into the contest.
The Crimson rallied to protect Stewart on defense, with Harvard taking the next five consecutive shots. Junior defender August Hunter received a great opportunity to score at the top of the box, but fell just short, and Nicola Golen also missed two solid scoring looks.
With the right looks on goal, the Crimson remained persistent in its pursuit, leading to a breakthrough at the 63 minute mark. A hard push on the deep right side of the field from Rose led to another crafty cross, which placed senior midfielder Josefine Hasbo in perfect position to score. Hasbo also received assistance from junior forward Audrey Francois, who met the cross in the air and gave the ball a slight bump over to Hasbo who sank the shot into the bottom left of the net putting the Crimson ahead, 2-1.
From this moment, Harvard commanded the rest of the game. This dominance was in part due to the anticipated return of senior midfielder and defender Áslaug Gunnlaugsdóttir, who took the field for the first time since 2022. Gunnlaugsdóttir did not disappoint in her return from injury, as she created an instant impact for her team in the Midwest showdown.
At the 70 minute mark, Gunnlaugsdóttir drove down the field and drew a foul in the box, earning Harvard a penalty kick for the second straight game. Once again, the Crimson elected Hasbo to take a familiar shot; inevitably the senior captain did not let the team down. With poise, Hasbo shot the ball, freezing the keeper in the middle of the goal as the ball sunk in the bottom right side of the goal. The goal increased Harvard’s lead to 3-1 and the Crimson was beginning to anticipate another imminent victory.
“It was great returning back on the field, to get the opportunity to play with this team and represent Harvard,” Gunnlaugsdóttir said, on her return to the field. “I’ve been having some setbacks during my recovery but I’ve felt a great amount of support from the team and being able to step on the field against Milwaukee was a moment that I’ve been waiting for.”
However, the game was not over yet, and Harvard was still hungry on the offensive end to score a fourth goal. Once again, Rose’s prowess emerged. With less than four minutes to play, Rose created an amazing run into the scoring zone of the Panthers, placing another accurate cross into the box that would be completed by freshman Lauren Muniz.
The goal was Muniz’s second goal of the season, and it would put the Crimson up 4-1. with litle time remaining for Milwaukee to respond. In the remaining 12 minutes of the game, the Panthers scored one more time, at the 87 minute mark, to cut the deficit, but it would not change the outcome of the game. Harvard sealed its fourth win of the season, 4-2.
With another win in the books, the Crimson sought to finish its week in the Midwest on a high note, as it faced off Sunday afternoon against the Northwestern Wildcats. In the second meeting between the two teams in history, both teams looked to gain a key non-conference victory. After a hard fought battle, the Crimson earned a 1-1 draw to close its weekend road trip.
Hasbo once again made her presence felt early, as she found the net in only the fourth minute of the game. Muniz made a nifty move on her defender in order to cross the ball into the middle of the box for the senior captain. Hasbo received the ball with one bump of the ball, and on her second touch fired a shot right past the Wildcats’ keeper for the score, marking her third goal in the past two games.
“I am always happy to contribute to a win in any way,” the Danish senior said. “My goals are ultimately a reflection of all the work the team has put in over the season. I’m really proud of the team’s growth so far.”
After a fast-paced start with an early goal by Harvard, both teams worked to find sustainable rhythm in the early afternoon match, setting the stage for a more measured pace following the initial excitement; the next shot in the contest did not occur until the 25 minute mark.
Francois attempted to make a play for the Crimson to up its lead, racing the ball up the left side of the field and putting her defender on her heels. As Franscois entered the box, she got a shot on goal, but the Northwestern keeper, Reiley Fitzpatrick, prevented a pivotal goal for Harvard and prevented the Crimson from once again gaining momentum.
WIth the score remaining 1-0 Harvard, Northwestern found a way to score. At the 36 minute mark, the Wildcats drew a foul call on the Crimson in the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Despite a controversial call, a video review validated Northwestern's opportunity to even the matchup. Surprisingly, however, Wildcat shooter Megan Norkett did not convert, missing wide right of the goal. Entering the midpoint break, the Crimson’s lead was safe.
After the first 45 minutes, Harvard prevailed in the number of shots, 5-0 and in shots on goal 2-0. At that point, Stewart had not had to break a sweat, save for Norkett’s missed PK. However, in the first ten minutes of the second half, Northwestern unleashed four shots (two on goal), making a statement and establishing a new pace of play.
Stewart remained grounded, though, continuing to play solid in the net and racking up saves for the Crimson. With 28 minutes left to play, Northwestern attempted to cross a ball into the box and score on Stewart, but the keeper sniffed the play out and made a remarkable save to push the ball outside the box.
Stewart’s third save came at the 65 minute mark, creating an opportunity for Harvard to respond on offense. Rayhill and Francois embraced the moment to attempt to deliver for the Crimson. Rayhill created the opportunity, shifting her defender to get to her left foot and fire at the goal, but Fitzpatrick blocked the shot, returning the ball to Francois, who tried to finish the play but could not get a good foot on the ball to score. With the offensive attack thwarted, Stewart kept the game in reach with three more saves in the next ten minutes of the contest.
With the final 15 minutes of play approaching, both teams braced for an intense finish, as Harvard looked to hold onto its narrow lead, while Northwestern sought to capitalize on its newfound offensive momentum. Two Wildcat corner kicks were extremely close to even the contest.
On the first corner, Stewart deflected the shot from the Wildcats, but could not stop the second play on goal. Luckily, Hasbo was there at the front lines of the goal to clear the ball outside the box. On the second corner kick, Stewart deflected an amazing header from a Wildcat shooter.
But the Wildcats remained motivated, scoring at the 78 minute mark after a deflected ball soared over Stewart’s head. With the score now tied and just 11 minutes remaining, the stage was set for a thrilling finish, as both teams pushed relentlessly for a game-winning breakthrough.
Despite both teams' best efforts to break the deadlock, neither could find a way to score a late game-winning goal. As the final whistle blew, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, a fitting conclusion to an intense and hard-fought contest.
Even with another draw to end a road trip, it was an unforgettable week for Harvard women's soccer, highlighted by standout performances across the board. Rose and Hasbo continued their stellar play, highlighted by Rose’s TV-worthy score and Hasbo netting three goals over two games. On defense, Stewart recorded an impressive eight saves against Northwestern.
With these accolades in tow, the Crimson left the Midwest with a tremendous wave of momentum, remaining unbeaten heading into its upcoming matches. Next week, Harvard will head out West to face Santa Clara, which will be streamed at 4:00 pm EST on ESPN+.
—Staff writer Chandler Piggé can be reached at chandler.pigge@thecrimson.com.
