Yet, perhaps ironically, Wills began to see clues that change was coming to Harvard in group chats.
“We started to see that the kids started to believe, and they started to care about lacrosse,” Wills said. “They’ve got these group chats, and they’re always talking about games. We knew it was a matter of time before things were going to start going our way. From some of the most grueling practices, weather, or early mornings, they’ve done everything we’ve asked and seem happy to do it.”
Harvard didn’t just return to the field in 2022. It qualified for the Ivy tournament for the first time since 2017, losing to Penn in the semis. It was promising. But a second semifinal loss in a row to Penn in 2023 didn’t sit well, and it fueled 2024’s leap forward.
“They never let the loss in the semis go last year,” Wills said. “They came into the fall with that. That’s a feeling you work hard to avoid, and you work hard to get something different.”
Callie Hem was already one of Harvard’s top attackers. The Needham (Mass.) High School product and one-time USA Lacrosse All-American, intended to go elsewhere but felt Harvard was a better fit. Wills agreed.
Hem started every game as a sophomore in 2022. Last season, she nabbed first-team all-conference honors after finishing third in goals per game (2.87). Hem has nearly doubled that output in 2024, averaging 4.30 goals per game, good for third in Division I. Her 43 goals lead a Crimson scoring offense pouring in 16.80 goals per game, fifth nationally.
“She’s somebody that’s always carried a big burden for our program because of her capability, but she’s so humble,” Wills says. “If you watch her, she celebrates harder for her teammates than she ever does for herself. I think that’s why the team loves her so much — she doesn’t want the attention at all.”
Hem cheered hard for Riley Campbell in Harvard’s 13-5 win over Cornell last weekend. Campbell led the Crimson with five goals and has a team-high 52 points (42G, 10A). Campbell, too, ranks in the top 10 nationally in goals per game (4.20).
“Riley is probably the most competitive kid and up there with the top three or four I’ve ever coached,” Wills said. “When she wants to go, she’ll find a way to go.”
And Caroline Mullahy (40A) will find Campbell. And Hem. And anyone else cutting toward the cage.
“It’s been fun to have Kenzie [Kent] back [as an assistant coach],” Wills said. “She can kind of have some of that lefty love with Caroline because they’re feeders and dodgers, too — just so creative and athletic.”
Mullahy has also helped bring along first-year attacker Callie Batchelder, who Wills expects to have a more prominent role down the stretch.
“She a bit similar to Caroline in that she’s creative, and her stick work is sharp,” Wills said.
The offense starts in the circle, where the Crimson have leaned on Maddie Barkate (69 DC).
“Maddie loves the strategy of the game and stepping up there,” Wills said. “She enjoys figuring out what to do and what the other team is going to do … and running the circle.”
While the offense’s numbers are simply gaudy, don’t discount the defense — how could you on a team coached by Wills, who once spearheaded USC’s lauded zone defense and served as the goalie for the U.S. women’s national team?
The Crimson defense is yielding 9.20 goals per game.
“When they’re playing well, they feel like they can move without having to say anything, and they know exactly what to expect from each other,” Wills said. “As a defensive unit, you have to know exactly how somebody wants to move and what someone’s body language is when they’re being a bit more aggressive. They’ve done a great job reading each other and having each other’s backs.”
Senior netminder Chloe Provenzano (.469SV%, 9.69GAA) sets the tone.
“She doesn’t let things bother her and has pretty thick skin,” Wills said. “Because of that demeanor, it allows the defense to refocus and self-correct when we get scored on without it being detrimental to their confidence.”
Harvard’s defense will be critical down the stretch in a conference with two of the nation’s top-scoring defenses, No. 12 Penn and No. 10 Yale. Its lone single-digit goal output of the season came in its only Ivy League loss (18-8 to Penn). The Bulldogs? They’re up next following a statement 16-8 win over the defending champion Quakers on Sunday.
“Yale is a strong team,” Wills said. “You have to have strategy everywhere on the field to beat them.”
The Ivy League is one of the nation’s most competitive leagues, with four teams in the USA Lacrosse Top 20. Brown is on the cusp under first-year head coach Katrina Dowd, too. The canceled 2020 and 2021 seasons left the league in a state of flux. Now, it has propelled the league into a state of strength in 2024, potentially boosting the potential of Harvard and other teams to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament should they not win the conference tournament
“We know the goal for probably all of us is to win the league,” Wills said. “But it can only be one. And if [someone doesn’t win], who’s putting themselves in a position to compete in May?”
To do that will be an exercise in patience for Wills and the Crismon.
“There are obviously smaller goals,” Wills said. “We don’t want to be playing our best lacrosse in February. We want to be together right now, in the next three weeks. The biggest thing is to win the league. You know how to do that? Compete every day. Get better every day.”
