Harvard’s women’s lacrosse team, ranked No. 25 nationally, will start its 2026 season by hosting No. 16 Notre Dame at Jordan Field on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on NESN and marks the first of seven home games for Harvard this year.
This season is significant as it marks the 50th anniversary of women’s lacrosse at Harvard. The program plans to commemorate the milestone with a special anniversary game scheduled for March 28.
For the first time since 2023, Harvard opens its season against a nationally ranked opponent. The last occasion was an away match against No. 17 Michigan. According to historical records dating back to 2010, this is also the first time in over a decade that Harvard has hosted a nationally ranked opponent in its opening game.
Harvard currently leads the all-time series against Notre Dame with three wins to two losses, although their last victory over Notre Dame occurred in 2000 with a score of 12-10.
Reflecting on last season, Harvard maintained a top-25 ranking throughout and began with three wins out of four games. The team achieved notable victories over UAlbany in their opener and upset both No. 15 Navy and No. 23 UConn later in February.
Senior Caroline Mullahy had a standout year, setting new records for assists at both school and Ivy League levels while reaching several career milestones: her 100th assist came during the opener against UAlbany; she broke Harvard’s program record with her 112th assist versus Bryant; surpassed the Ivy League mark soon after; became just the seventh player in program history to tally at least 200 points; and finished as one of only fifteen NCAA players ever to achieve more than 150 career assists. Mullahy and Annabel Child were named All-Ivy First Team selections and received Honorable Mention All-American honors from USA Lacrosse.
The Crimson roster welcomes eight newcomers from the Class of 2029 this year. Three incoming freshmen earned recognition in Inside Lacrosse’s Power 100 rankings: Alexandra Koch was listed highest at No. 40, while Emerson Midura and Cece Batchelder received honorable mentions.
Team leadership will come from Despina Gianakopulos—who started every game over the past two seasons—and Kate Gilliam, who enters her senior year having played in twenty-nine games so far for Harvard.
Key returning offensive contributors include Charlotte Hodgson (team-leading thirty goals last season), Callie Batchelder (career-high forty-five points), and Grace Mullahy (who increased her point total by thirty-three during her sophomore campaign).
After facing Notre Dame, Harvard will travel to play Bryant on Wednesday evening as part of an early stretch featuring three games within seven days.
