Weekly Sports Preview: October 8–15

We are a month into classes, and with fall sports well into their regular seasons, the Crimson enters another week of conference tests, road trips, and championship races. This week brings a new set of challenges for Harvard sports as it looks beyond the regular season and toward title bids.

Field Hockey (8–1)

This Friday at 4 p.m., Cornell will travel to Cambridge to face the Crimson at Harvard’s home field. Cornell is a close second to Harvard in the Ivy League standings, and both teams enter the matchup undefeated in conference play. Following a penalty shootout win over last year’s Ivy League tournament champion, Princeton, on Sept. 26, the Crimson faces its next test on Friday. A victory would bring the team a step closer to its second consecutive Ivy League championship.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., field hockey will take to the road for a non-conference game at Syracuse. Be sure to watch Sage Piekarski ’27, who led the Crimson’s offense to a victory over No. 5 Wake Forest last week, and goalkeeper Linde Burger ’29, who has posted three shutouts this season.

Women’s Volleyball (11–1)

Despite modest preseason predictions, women’s volleyball started the season with a record-breaking 11-game win streak before its first loss. Now well into conference play, the Crimson will travel to Columbia this Friday for a 7 p.m. game. With Columbia yet to win a conference match this season, this match will likely be one of Harvard’s easier challenges on its path to an Ivy League tournament bid, ahead of a tougher test on Saturday.

On Saturday at 5 p.m., the Crimson will then travel upstate for its second road game of the weekend against Cornell, the conference leader. This will be a critical test for the Crimson’s depth against a team with a perfect conference record this season. Sophia Wei ’29 is the one to watch, boasting double-digit assists in multiple games this season. First-year Kayla Nwabueze ’30 is already adding value, dominating on the court with her kills and aces.

Cross Country

This weekend brings a doubleheader for Harvard cross country. On Friday, the Crimson travels to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Nuttycombe Invitational, followed by the New England Championships the following day in New Hampshire. The Nuttycombe is one of the most competitive races, featuring several of the nation’s top-ranked teams. While rosters for each meet are yet to be announced, fans can expect the squad to be split between the two. Athletes to watch include Tam Gavenas ’29, who finished seventh in the men’s 8K at the Indiana State Invitational, and last year’s All-Ivy First Team honoree Sophia Gorriaran ’27, who consistently leads the women’s team in finishes.

Women’s Rugby (3–0)

A month into the regular season, Harvard has already clinched the Ivy League championship after a victory over longtime rival Dartmouth. On Saturday at 11 a.m., the Crimson will face Navy at Mignone Field. With its toughest regular-season game behind them, Harvard will look to continue its undefeated streak as it pursues its fourth consecutive NIRA championship. This Saturday’s game is Senior Day, celebrating members of the Class of 2027 like captains Ava Ference ’27 and Courtney Taylor ’27, along with leading on-field contributors like Neasa McLaughlin ’27 and Maya Hilger ’27.

Football (3–0)

On Saturday at 1 p.m., Harvard football heads to Cornell in Ithaca for its second Ivy League game of the season. Cornell is second in conference rankings and coming off a win over preseason favorites Yale—but fans can remain hopeful for the Crimson, which is first in the league and has won every meeting since 2019. After last week’s exciting conclusion against Colgate, look out for quarterback Charlie Smith ’29, who has commanded the Crimson’s offense with a career-best start to the season, and wide receiver Nathan Bailey ’30, who set career bests in receiving yards and receptions during the home opener against Colgate.

Women’s Soccer (8–2–1)

On Saturday at 4 p.m., women’s soccer will play Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. The Crimson is on a seven-game winning streak, highlighted by a victory over then-No. 6 the University of Alabama and a 6–0 shutout win over the University of New Hampshire. Harvard, currently undefeated in conference play, leads the Ivy League. Still, this game will challenge the Crimson—Dartmouth won last year’s Ivy League championship and returns three of its All-Ivy First Team selections, including the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. This matchup will likely be one of the Crimson’s most difficult conference games of the regular season.

Men’s Soccer (2–5–2)

Saturday at 7 p.m., the Crimson will play Brown in Providence. Coming off its first conference victory of the season against Columbia, Harvard has another chance Saturday to prove it is a contender for the Ivy title after a rocky start. Currently fifth in the conference standings, Harvard could break into the top four with a win over Brown and bring the team a step closer to qualifying for the Ivy League tournament. Watch Dylan Tellado ’27, who leads the Crimson in goals and points this season and scored Harvard’s only Ivy League goal.

Men’s Water Polo (5–10)

The Crimson faces Brown at home in Blodgett Pool this Saturday at 12 p.m. After starting its season with tough non-conference games against some of the nation’s top teams, Harvard began official Northeast Water Polo Conference play last weekend. The Crimson is currently 2–1 in conference play and 5–10 overall, having lost only to conference leader Princeton. With Harvard and Brown tied for second in the conference standings, Saturday’s matchup gives Harvard a chance to solidify its position as a top contender for the conference title.

On Sunday at 12 p.m., the Crimson will head to MIT for its second game of the weekend. Look out for Connor Kim ’29, whose nine goals across two games last weekend helped carry the Crimson to victories against Iona and Long Island University, and All-American Clay Carrington ’30, whose four-goal debut against Cal Baptist earned him the NWPC Rookie of the Week title earlier this year.

Sailing

This weekend, the sailing team will split its roster across three tournaments—the Stu Nelson Trophy in New London, Connecticut; the Sister Esther Trophy in Newport, Rhode Island; and the first round of the Open Atlantic Coast Championship in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. All three are two-day slates, though rosters for each have not yet been announced. Look out for Zoey Ziskind ’27 and Christina Chen ’27, both named All-Americans last year, who have already made several podium appearances this season.

Whichever sport you follow, this season has been exhilarating for Crimson fans. With fall athletics in full swing, Harvard’s teams face new hurdles this week. Whether you are a die-hard fan or have never watched a game, head across the river (or tune into ESPN) to support Harvard athletics this week!

Lucy Duncan ’28 (lduncan@college.harvard.edu) writes Sports for the “Harvard Independent.”