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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – After a narrow defeat in the season opener, Harvard women’s soccer will look to correct course when it travels to Southern Connecticut to take on the Fairfield University Stags. The Crimson (0-1-0, 0-0-0 Ivy) will make the trip down to Fairfield for the first time since 2023 to take on the Stags (3-1-0, 0-0-0 MAAC) at Lessing Field and on ESPN+.
Harvard will look to get in the win column for the first time this season and continue its unbeaten streak against it regional rival when the sides clash on Friday (Aug. 29) at 6:00 PM.
What to Know
Last Time Out
- The Crimson is coming off a narrow loss to the University of Massachusetts in its season opener. Harvard fell 2-1 after a shot attempt was cleared off the line in the closing seconds of the action.
- Audrey Francois opened her 2025 scoring register with a penalty kick strike in the first half.
- Despite outshooting the Minutewomen 19-9 – and leading 14-4 on corner kick attempts – the Crimson could not convert on its chances in the second half in an attempt to equalize.
- Rhiannon Stewart made three saves in her first appearance of the 2025 season.
- The defeat was Harvard’s first non-conference loss since September 17 of 2023.
Beyond the Box Score
- Audrey Francois increased her team lead in career goals, netting her eighth tally.
- Harvard attempted 14 corner kicks in the matchup against UMass, the most in a game for the team since the 2016 season.
- The Crimson is currently the NCAA leader in corner kicks per game with 14.0.
- Harvard recorded 19 shot attempts in its first game of the season, reaching the mark for the 11th time in the past three seasons.
- Five of the Crimson’s first-year players – Carolien Studebaker, Danicka Miller, Elsa Santos López, Kennedy Belfon and Hannah Eftekhari – all made their collegiate debuts against UMass.
Road Warriors
- In addition to its success at home, Harvard has been a formidable opponent on the road in the past five seasons.
- The team has posted a 23-6-9 record in away fixtures dating back to the 2019 season, including two seasons (2021 and 2022) with unbeaten marks on the road.
- Harvard will play the second of five road games this season against the Stags.
Series History Against Fairfield
- Harvard and Fairfield have met on the women’s soccer pitch ten times in the series history.
- The Crimson are unbeaten against the Stags with an 8-0-2 record in the series, including a 3-0-0 mark at Fairfield.
- The last matchup saw the Crimson defeat the Stags, 3-0, in the 2023 season. Jasmine Leshnick and Ólöf Kristinsdóttir both scored their first career goals in the contest that saw Harvard outshoot Fairfield, 16-3.
Scouting the Stags
- Fairfield boasts a 3-1 record in their first two weeks of 2025 after collecting wins against Holy Cross (1-0), Boston University (2-1) and Vermont (4-1). The team’s only defeat was at the hands of Rutgers, who took a 2-0 result against the Stags.
- The team is outscoring its opponents 7-4 this season and have only allowed two-plus goals in one contest in 2025.
- Senior forward, Maddy Theriault is off to a great start with five goals, two assists and 12 points to lead the team in all three offensive categories.
- Senior goalkeeper, Katie Wright, anchors the Stags defense and holds a 1.09 GAA and .733 save percentage in four starts during the campaign.
On the Horizon
- After the battle with Fairfield, Harvard women’s soccer will begin a seven-game home stand that will take the team through non-conference play and into its Ivy League season.
- The stretch begins on Labor Day Monday (Sep. 1) with a matinee contest against Kansas State at 11:30 AM at Jordan Field.
Up Next
Harvard will play two home games next week against Kansas State (Sep. 1) and Monmouth (Sep. 4) to open up its home schedule. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.
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