Podcast: Harvard’s Chris Hamblin on the success of the women’s program

Harvard women's head coach Chris Hamblin joined 'The Goal.' (Harvard Athletics)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Harvard women’s soccer head coach Chris Hamblin.

Hamblin is now in his seventh season at the helm. So far this season, he has led the Crimson to a record of 6-0-2. Harvard is ranked No. 16 in the country.

In 2021, Hamblin guided the Crimson to an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as the program made its 17th all-time NCAA appearance and gained its first at-large bid since 2004. The Crimson went 12-3-1 on the year and earned rankings as high as No. 4 in the NCAA RPI.

A native of Bristol, England, Hamblin was a four-year starting goalkeeper for the Boston College men’s team. As a senior, he led the Eagles to a Big East Tournament championship and the team’s first NCAA bid since 1990. In 2008, Hamblin was honored with an induction into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Hamblin joined the show to discuss Harvard’s great start to this season and how the program has evolved and improved through the years, and also becoming a U.S. citizen.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Hamblin.

On the team’s mindset coming into the season:

Hamblin: “We were excited coming into this season. We knew we had a good core group of returning players, a lot of talent on the roster. So we knew we would be in a good place coming in. I think we’ve been able to build on the foundation we set last year and have a really good start to the season. We’re feeling that we’ve made some real positive strides, but we’re also recognizing there’s a long way to go.”

On the difficulties of recruiting for an Ivy League program:

Hamblin: “I think that all the schools are trying to find candidates that fit each of their programs. Included in that is the soccer piece, the character piece, and also the academic element. I think that we try and identify the best soccer players we can around the country, around the world, and then look and see if there’s a fit from a character and academic standpoint. I think ourselves and a number of other programs in the league have done that. We want committed students, who are going to be able to be successful in our institutions, so I think part of recruiting for us is not only recruiting the soccer players, recruiting the person and also recruiting the student, because the transfer rate is very high in women’s soccer, but it’s very, very low in the Ivy League. I think that once we recruit a student-athlete, we expect them to graduate in four years and be a part of our respective programs.”

On the talent on the Harvard roster this year compared to other years:

Hamblin: “I think this roster has an incredible amount of potential. The rosters we’ve had in the past, each year, each team is different in different ways. Each team has different strengths and different weaknesses, to some degree. I think this roster we have this year has a very high ceiling of potential. From a talent standpoint, but also just from a buy-in standpoint, I think we’re in a really good place.”

On the rivalry between programs in the Boston area:

Hamblin: “I think it’s something we’ve talked about doing in the spring, starting a soccer (event) where we all play each other in the offseason and make it really a competitive offseason event. I think we can probably do a better job there, because I think there’s definitely the appetite for each of those programs to compete locally with each other, maybe a little bit more.”

On becoming a U.S. Citizen earlier this month:

Hamblin: “I came over in 1997. I was recruited by Boston College, by Ed Kelly. After I finished there, I was fortunate enough to land a coaching job, an assistant job at BC with the women’s program. I’ve been (coaching) for 21 years now. I live not so far from campus, have four kids, and my wife and I are really settled. I thought to myself, ‘it’s about time to get this done,’ to finally become a citizen. I was really honored and privileged to go through that process and be able to now call myself an American citizen.”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution and Soccerheads New England.

For advertising opportunities, please contact [email protected].