Weekly Sports Preview: October 22–29

As the second month of school wraps up, Harvard’s fall sports are moving from packed schedules to morning lifts and the occasional matchup. For many fall sports, this is the last week of regular-season play before conference playoffs. Meanwhile, winter sports are finishing their preseasons and starting their first games. With parents and families on campus for Family Weekend, Crimson fans of all ages will have plenty to watch this week!

Men’s Hockey

Men’s hockey makes its home-ice debut this Friday. Their 4 p.m. exhibition match against Northeastern will be new head coach Rob Rassey’s first opportunity to impress Crimson fans. Rassey, an assistant coach for the Crimson from 2013-2019, returned to Harvard this year after a four-year stint at the University of Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to two Big Ten Tournament Championships and three Frozen Four appearances.

The Crimson will then play their first official match of the season next Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. against the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Last year’s two leading point scorers, forward Mick Thompson ’28 and defender Matthew Morden ’27, return, alongside an incoming first-year class that includes three NHL draft picks.

Women’s Hockey (2–0–0)

After kicking off their season with back-to-back wins over Holy Cross this past week, the Crimson will face St. Michael’s University at home at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Harvard is the defending Women’s Beanpot champion, while St. Michael’s went 1–33 in their last season. This should be an easier game for the Crimson as they prepare for conference play.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., the Crimson will face the University of New Hampshire. UNH holds the overall series record, but the Crimson have won recent matchups. This is the last non-conference match of the semester and comes ahead of a stretch of Eastern College Athletic Conference games. Goaltender Ainsley Tuffy ’28, who recorded a conference-best 0.950 save percentage last season, and last year’s top scorer, Morgan McGathey ’29, will be critical to Harvard’s ongoing success. Lindsay Stepnowski ’30 is a first-year standout, netting two goals in her first two games.

Men’s Swimming and Diving

At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, men’s swimming and diving will kick off their 2026-27 season with a scrimmage at M.I.T. ahead of conference play in November. Head coach Kevin Tyrrell returns for his 14th season leading the overall team, while Tracey Byrd enters her second season leading the divers. Two of last year’s Ivy League champions return: Adriano Arioti ’28 in the 200m backstroke and William Mulgrew ’29 in the 1000m and 1650m freestyle events.

Field Hockey (12–1)

On Friday, field hockey heads to New York for a 5 p.m. match at Columbia, concluding their regular-season road games. Last year, Harvard beat Columbia 2–0 to win the Ivy League regular-season championship, so this game hinges on one critical factor: pride. Conference leader Harvard is favored to win, after coming out on top in the last twelve matchups between the two schools.

Then on Sunday at 12 p.m., the Crimson returns to Berylson Field for a non-conference match against Monmouth. In their penultimate regular-season game, this top-25 team will challenge Harvard ahead of the Ivy League Tournament. Goalkeeper Linde Burger ’29, 10th in the nation in goals-against average, will be a key player in the net, while All-Americans Sage Piekarski ’27 and Martha le Huray ’28 lead the offense.

Football (5–0)

This Saturday at 3 p.m., football plays Princeton at Harvard Stadium in the annual Fall Fest homecoming game. The Crimson extended their perfect streak with last week’s victory over Holy Cross. While the Tigers hold the all-time series record, the Crimson has won the last two meetings. Captain and running back Xaviah Bascon ’27, supported by offensive linemen like All-Americans Spencer Doan ’27 and Thomas O’Brien ’27, has led Harvard to wins like its dominant scoring display against Cornell. Fans who attend Fall Fest can also enjoy a jersey giveaway, live music, and food trucks.

Women’s Volleyball

After opening conference play with a five-set victory over Dartmouth, women’s volleyball travels to Hanover, New Hampshire, on Saturday for their first rematch of the semester. Harvard has swept this matchup for the last three years, though last week’s five-set win over Dartmouth shows the Big Green won’t go down easily, as the Crimson strive for an Ivy Tournament bid. Their last victory relied on kills and blocks from key players like Ali Farquhar ’27 and Sofia Rossi ’29.

Sailing

This weekend, sailing splits their squad between two regattas. First, this weekend is the final round of the Open Atlantic Coast Championship, hosted at Brown University. The Crimson comes off last weekend’s historic first-place finish at the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship, led by skipper Zoey Ziskind ’27, and will look for another big win. Harvard finished seventh of 17 teams in the first round of the Championship, so fans should expect lineup changes this weekend.

On Saturday, a second squad will travel to Boston College for the Norman Reid Team Race. A lower-stakes event than the Atlantic Coast Championship, it will likely be more of a developmental opportunity for Harvard’s strong first-year students.

Tennis

This weekend, both of Harvard’s tennis squads will compete in the Ivy League Qualifier tournament to qualify for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Conference Masters. The men’s team will compete at Princeton and the women’s team at Columbia. The Crimson squad is dominated by Stephanie Yakoff ’27 and Kavya Karra ’27, who took home the doubles championship title at last week’s New England Regionals, and Rohan Murali ’27, a semifinalist at the same event. All three have earned an automatic spot in the ITA National Fall Championships in November.

Women’s Golf

This weekend brings the fall finale for Harvard women’s golf: the Lady Blue Hen Invitational in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This will be the Crimson’s final event of the semester before returning in the spring, so much is on the line. This season, 2024-25 Ivy League Champion Vanessa Zhang ’28 and rookie Rayee Feng ’30 have been Harvard’s top performers, so keep an eye on them heading into the weekend.

Men’s Soccer

Men’s soccer hosts the University of Pennsylvania this Saturday, with kickoff at 1 p.m. Sitting at No. 4 in the Ivy League with three conference games remaining, the Crimson need every victory to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament. UPenn has won the last three games in this series and ranks second in the conference, so careful, disciplined defense, led by goalkeeper Jason Broome ’29, will be crucial to success.

Women’s Soccer

On Friday at 7 p.m., women’s soccer heads to Brown. Last year’s draw against Brown and subsequent loss to Columbia cost the Crimson an Ivy Tournament bid, so that Harvard will be looking for revenge. Goalkeepers Olivia Busby ’30 and Nicole Biden ’29 will need to lock down the Crimson’s net while captain Anna Rayhill ’27 leads the offense.

If your parents are in town this weekend, bring them across the river to the Athletic Complex! Not a fan of the cold? Cozy up next to an ESPN stream and cheer on the Crimson’s away games.

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