Last Friday, the field hockey team (9-8, 4-3 Ivy) played their first and last game of the Ivy League tournament, falling to the Harvard Crimson (15-3, 6-1 Ivy). After a fight that extended into overtime, the Bears walked off of Bedford Field with a 1-0 loss to conclude their best Ivy season since 2005.
“We went to the Ivy League Tournament excited to reach the goal we had set for ourselves a year ago. We certainly aimed to win the Ivy League Tournament and we felt very prepared,” Head Coach Britt Broady wrote in an email to The Herald. “I know we are all very proud ... but also disappointed.”
Stakes were high for both sides: a win would mean advancing to the Ivy Championship game, and a loss would mean the end of the 2024 season. The match’s importance was reflected in the intensity with which each team defended their goal to start the first quarter. With the exception of a strong shot from forward Lexi Pellegrino ’26 toward the quarter’s conclusion, neither team came particularly close to scoring.
“I think we were all just playing our hardest because we knew our season was on the line,” midfielder Lucy Adams ’26 wrote in a message to The Herald.
After the game, Adams and teammate Mia Karine Myklebust ’26.5 were named to the Ivy League All-Tournament team.
“Lucy is one of the best players in the entire country,” Broady wrote. “Not only is she technically skilled and tactically aware, she is a strong leader who makes all those around her better and more joyful.”
The second quarter began with a direct shot from the Crimson five minutes in, but a last-second save from goalkeeper Kylee Del Monte ’27 kept the game at 0-0.
Gameplay intensified from both sides as the second quarter drew to a close. With two minutes remaining, Adams seized possession of the ball and made a successful swerve for Harvard’s net despite being surrounded by three opposing players. In the last 20 seconds, Harvard made a final dive for the Bears’ goal. But neither team was able to score.
“Harvard is a very patient team with a high hockey IQ,” Adams wrote. “They were very strong defensively and were able to keep us scoreless in regular play.”
The game’s third and fourth quarters were consistent with the patterns seen in the first half — the Bears focused on keeping their defense up and blocking Harvard from advancing towards the goal. Del Monte saved a close shot from Harvard once again, and although Bruno took a direct shot in the final 10 seconds of the third quarter and the back-and-forth continued through the fourth, the scoreboard still read 0-0 when regulation concluded.
Although Harvard presented challenging attempts on Brown, the Bears’ loose, relaxed playing style stood out in this semifinal game. Between plays, team members were seen laughing amongst themselves and dancing to the music blaring across Bedford Field — factors that spoke to the team’s overall close dynamic.
“The group of girls we had this season was special in more ways than having impressive field hockey ability,” Adams wrote to The Herald. “We were a team that continued on the legacy built by our alumni from the past two years of really good team culture.”
In the initial minutes of overtime, several penalty corners were called on both sides, but the game’s score did not budge.
But with just over three minutes remaining, the Crimson finally broke through on a corner. After a series of quick passes, Harvard’s Bronte-May Brough sent the ball flying between Del Monte’s legs, hitting the back of the net and ending the Bears’ breakout season.
Harvard “capitalized on an overtime corner, and unfortunately, that one critical moment determined the result despite the way we dominated the entire game,” Broady said.
“My overall perspective on the game is it could have gone either way,” Adams wrote. “We were very sad about the outcome of Harvard because we knew we had the potential to win, but we also were proud of the growth we had and the opportunities that growth gave us late in the season.”
Broady added that the team “will take some time to rest, reflect and celebrate” before shifting their focus towards goal-setting for the 2025 season.
