Harvard women’s soccer (4-1-4, 0-1-0 Ivy) returned to the Northeast to compete against the Brown Bears (4-2-3, 1-0-0 Ivy) last Friday night to start Ivy League play. The matchup between two Ivy league powerhouses finished with Brown earning a win over Harvard, 2-1.
In a rivalry weekend for Harvard athletics, Friday night saw two Ivy League powerhouses in Harvard — last year’s Ivy League Tournament champions — and Brown, the reigning Ivy League regular season champion, square off for a chance to earn a win at the beginning of conference play. The Crimson’s came off a nail-biting tie against No.10 Santa Clara in its previous matchup, while Bears entered coming off of a dominant win against Northeastern.
In the early minutes of the game, neither team blinked on defense. Last year, Brown bested Harvard at Jordan Field, 2-0, so it was essential that the Crimson defense held strong this year, while the offense found a way to create opportunities. Both teams were able to get a few quality shots on goal, but the game remained scoreless during the early parts of the game.
Harvard was able to generate offensive momentum in the form of three corner kicks, but could not follow through on the scoring attempts. Brown was aggressive on offense as well, but with junior starting goalkeeper and last week’s Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Rhiannon Stewart in goal for the Crimson, Harvard was well prepared. Stewart began right where she left off last week for the Crimson as the half progressed.
After a corner kick was awarded to the Bears, Stewart showcased her athletic ability, jumping straight up in the air with her arms outstretched, falling backwards into the goal post, to save a kick that would have burrowed into the corner of the goal. Her efforts to put her body on the line saved a goal that would have been electrifying for Brown. She continued her strong play by making another incredible save at the 31-minute mark to halt a Brown counterattack.
As the final moments of the first half ticked down, the tension between Harvard and Brown reached a fever pitch, with neither team able to find the net. But after Stewart was repeatedly tested, Brown was finally able to sneak a goal into the net, minutes before the first half break.
After the Bears were awarded a corner kick, junior defender Layla Shell scored off a header, assisted by senior midfielder Karlie Schlosser. Despite Stewart’s attempt to punch the ball out, the ball hit against the top of the post and found the back of the net. While the roar of the Brown supporters echoed throughout the stadium, Harvard was left with a gut punch to end the first half.
The rivalry was still alive and burning, though, and as the players dispersed into their respective locker rooms: the second half promised to be a battle to the end in this Ivy League opener.
As the second half opened up, Harvard responded with force, as it has all season long. After only six minutes of second half play, the Harvard offense initiated a strong push up the field to score, with the ball ending up in the trusted feet of sophomore forward Anna Rayhill.
After receiving the ball in the middle of the field from senior forward Nicola Golen, sophomore midfielder Írena Héðinsdóttir Gonzalez placed a magnificent through ball to Rayhill in the box, where she fired a shot just under the arms of the Brown goalkeeper, who had sprinted out to meet her. Unfortunately for the Bears, the goalkeeper was late, as Rayhill found the back of the net for the Crimson to even the contest, 1-1.
The tenor of the game shifted with Harvard’s goal, and Brown did its best to flip the script back. With 22 minutes left in the game, Brown’s offense had an opportunity to get a shot on goal, but it was junior defender August Hunter that swooped in to stop the play, kicking it to sophomore midfielder Anya Van Den Einde to clear out of bounds. Harvard relied on more key saves from its defenders, freshman Erin Gordon and senior Sydney Farmham, to fend off the Bears from reaching Stewart in the goal.
Soon, Stewart was needed for yet another incredible play for the Crimson. At the 76-minute mark of the game, Brown kicked the ball into the box, where junior defender Naya Cardoza headed the ball directly at the goal. Stewart had quick awareness to dive from the middle of the net to the far right side of the goal to push the ball out of bounds.
The unreal save from Stewart propelled the game into a frenzy of energy and anticipation. Harvard was ecstatic, as the save was not just a deflection of the ball, but a lifeline for the Crimson. As the second half wore on, the match intensified. Both teams knew the next goal could define the outcome.
In the end, Brown managed to score its second goal of the game at the 78-minute mark. After a corner kick from senior midfielder Karlie Schlosser, Cardoza met the ball with a header to freshman midfielder Ella Weil, who kicked in the go-ahead score, taking a 2-1 lead over the Crimson.
Harvard did not collapse despite the late Brown goal, fighting to find a late equalizer. In fact, the Crimson created three quality chances in the final two minutes. However, none found the back of the net. When the whistle blew, the Bears had bested the Crimson with a 2-1 result.
Despite the 2-1 loss, Harvard’s future this season appears bright. The match presented promising aspects of the Crimson’s resilience and unwavering fight, from start to finish. The Crimson’s ability to respond under duress, highlighted by Rayhill’s equalizer and Stewart heroic saves, demonstrates that Harvard is not a team that surrenders easily.
Harvard turns its focus now to the next league matchup, versus the Columbia Lions. The Crimson will be facing the Lions at Jordan Field on Saturday, Oct. 5t at 4:00 pm on ESPN+.
—Staff writer Chandler Piggé can be reached at chandler.pigge@thecrimson.com.
