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After falling just short to Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament final last weekend, the Harvard field hockey team made a dominant rebound in its opening game of the NCAA Tournament.

Despite giving up two early points to the University of New Hampshire on Friday afternoon, the Crimson’s offense quickly exploded, scoring eight unanswered goals to defeat the Wildcats, 8-2. The win was Harvard’s 18th victory of the season, setting a new program record for most wins in a season as it advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third consecutive year.

Harvard’s comeback was spurred by a historic performance from junior forward Sage Piekarski, who recorded the first NCAA Tournament hat trick in program history. Sophomore forward Emily Bronckers tallied two, and senior defender Bronte-May Brough, sophomore forward Martha le Huray, and sophomore midfielder Tilly Butterworth each recorded one goal to help secure the win.

Although Harvard controlled possession throughout the game, UNH struck twice in the second quarter. The Wildcats’ first goal shocked the Crimson just one minute and 19 seconds into the second quarter off a penalty corner. Six minutes later, the America East champions scored again, hoping to upset their host.

However, the Crimson, after its incredible undefeated regular season, was not ready to conclude its historic campaign.

“I think a realization that that could be our last game of the season and last game ever as seniors was the main motivating factor,” Brough said of Harvard’s comeback effort. “I think that our whole team believed that we were capable of making up the 2-0 deficit if we stepped up our game and played as a team, improving on a few aspects. Ultimately, we trusted our game plan would work if we executed it properly.”

Two minutes later, the Crimson closed the deficit to one on a penalty corner of its own. Le Huray inserted the ball to freshman midfielder Rosa Kooijmans. The rookie dished the ball to junior Lara Beehkius, who slid it deftly to Brough. The senior three-time All-American fired a shot on net, and Piekarski wrangled the resulting rebound out of the air to slam it home.

The team erupted into cheers, and it was clear the game was far from over.

“I think what’s made our team so successful is the love of the game and each other that we show,” Brough said. “We are all really committed and passionate about playing and having fun whilst we do it, which has been the most enjoyable part and what I think has been the key to our successes.”

Two minutes after tallying its first goal, Harvard added another to even the score.

The Crimson’s defense forced a turnover, and Brough sent an aerial ball ripping all the way down the field. Brough’s ball headed straight toward UNH’s goalkeeper, Abby Johnson, who let it slide past her, assuming no Harvard players would be able to get a stick on it within the circle. However, le Huray and Piekarski had sprinted forward, determined to maintain possession. Piekarski blazed past Johnson on the right side and, right on the goal line, flung herself toward the ball. As she dove, the Concord, Mass., native just tipped the ball home and recorded her second goal of the game, inflicting a devastating blow on the Wildcats’ defensive morale.

“Generally, we are a team that likes to just go forward as quickly as possible,” Bronckers said. “During the season, us forwards have become better at making and timing our leads accurately to be available for a pass from our midfield or defense teammates, which is how most of our offensive efforts start.”

The Crimson team clearly practiced capitalizing on its forward momentum, utilizing its speed to stretch its defenders and create offensive chances.

Thanks to the late-half surge from Harvard, the two teams headed into the halftime break with the score locked in a 2-2 standstill.

The Crimson remained dominant in the third quarter, as captains Fiene Oerlemans and Kitty Chapple each helped their team push the ball upfield. Chapple evaded pressure in the defensive zone and passed the ball to Oerlemans, who drove forward into UNH’s circle and drew a corner.

Le Huray inserted the ball to Chapple, who corralled it and tapped it to Butterworth. Butterworth nailed the following shot, giving Harvard its first lead of the contest.

The Wildcats attempted to get the ball out of their zone, but struggled against the onslaught of Crimson pressure. Harvard’s defenders clamped down, preventing the visitors from making any dangerous runs through the midfield. In fact, UNH was unable to fire off a shot throughout the quarter.

“Obviously, everyone on the team is very skilled and talented individually, but it really is the teamwork that makes the dreamwork,” wrote Harvard’s freshman goalkeeper Linde Burger in a text message. “We all trust each other on the field and try to exploit everyone’s strengths.”

“I think the love that the team has for each other is something that really sets us apart,” she added. “We are willing to work for each other and push ourselves further.”

The Crimson utilized its cohesive style of play, maintaining possession by passing rapidly across the field and peppering Johnson with five more shots.

Eventually, the Wildcats succumbed to the pressure as they fouled Harvard within the circle, giving the home team another corner.

This time, senior forward Kate Oliver inserted the ball, and Brough ripped a shot past Johnson from just inside the top of the circle.

Boasting a 4-2 lead, the Crimson entered the fourth quarter of play looking to secure its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Harvard continued its offensive reign in the final 15 minutes.

Piekarski made another rapid drive downfield, crossing the ball to le Huray, who tallied the Crimson’s fifth goal of the afternoon. Less than a minute later, Chapple ripped a perfect pass to Bronckers, who deked out her defender and hammered home a goal from the top of the circle.

Although the Wildcats tried to mount a comeback, their shots were stifled by the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Burger, in net. The Heerhugowaard, Netherlands native has started all 19 of Harvard’s games and has notched eight shutouts as senior goalkeeper Tessa Shahbo has been sidelined with an injury.

“Once I knew I was going to have to play, I knew I had to flip that switch and try to do as best as possible,” Burger wrote. “I am very lucky with all the support of the girls and the staff, their belief in me gave me so much confidence, especially in the first weeks when everything was still so new. I can not thank them enough for making this transition so smooth and fun!”

Thanks to five critical saves from Burger, the Crimson tallied two more goals and secured the win.

First, Bronckers recorded her second goal of the afternoon thanks to a brave drive toward the cage by freshman Lucy Barker.

Then, with less than a minute remaining, Beekhuis broke free of her defenders and sprinted upfield with the ball. Facing down Johnson in the net, Beekhuis and Piekarski executed a perfect two-versus-one. Beekhuis selflessly passed the ball to Piekarski, who tapped the ball into the back of the net, nabbing the hat trick with just 39 seconds left on the game clock.

“During this whole season, we have been practicing on finding the connections with each other on the field, and that has really helped us develop a strong way of playing,” said Bronckers. “When facing tough opponents, it is simply not enough to just rely on individual quality, and playing that passing game with each other is how we like to play field hockey.”

“I also think we’ve gotten better at being clinical in our attacks and converting our chances into goals, which obviously is a very important aspect when it comes to winning games,” the sophomore added.

Harvard’s eight goals broke the program’s record for the most Crimson goals in the NCAA Tournament.

With the commanding win, the hosting team now shifts its sights to UConn, which defeated Wake Forest 2-0 on Friday. Harvard and the Huskies have already faced off this season. The Crimson beat UConn 2-0 in Storrs, Conn., but both teams have improved since the mid-September matchup.

“UConn is a very structured team, so I think it’s important that we stick to our plan that we prepared and, maybe the hardest thing in my opinion, not fall into the trap of thinking we can easily beat them again just because we won against them in the regular season,” said Bronckers. “UConn has improved a lot since the last time we faced them, but so have we, so it’s going to be an exciting game for sure!”

Bronckers’ teammates echoed her determined sentiments.

“When we follow the tactic we have created, are playing our own style of field hockey, and are in the right mindset, I think we can fight for writing even more history this season,” wrote Burger.

For the Crimson’s seniors, this will be their last field hockey game in Cambridge. If the team wins, it will travel down to Duke University for the Final Four. If the team falls, its historic season will come to a close.

“We’re super excited to have another opportunity to play on our home field tomorrow in the Elite Eights and hope to improve on our last two seasons’ results, where we weren’t able to progress through to the Final Four,” said Brough.

“We’re hoping to start the game with more fire tomorrow and execute our game plan from the first whistle,” the senior defender added.

Head across the Charles to Berylson Field tomorrow to watch the Huskies and the Crimson face off in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament at 1:00 PM EST. If you cannot make it to the field, the game will air live on ESPN+. During the contest, Harvard will look to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2021.

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