"When we get you in flight, that's when we're the most dangerous," he said. And he was right.
However, Virginia did not earn all of their scores.
"They had a lot of goals inside on broken plays, there's nothing you can really do about that," Ferrucci said.
Co-captain Mike Eckert echoed his attackman's sentiment.
"I think we did about everything in our power to help them win the game," Eckert said. "We didn't capitalize on our man-up opportunities and we made more mental mistakes today than we have the entire year," Eckert added. While Anderson attributed Harvard's error-filled play to the players' over-excitement, Eckert noted that the weather also contributed to the frenzied atmosphere. "I think a lot of that has to be attributed to the heat," Eckert said. He really understated the case, as the temperatures on the turf were nearing, if not exceeding, 100 degrees. But the Harvard players and coaches would not use the sweltering turf conditions, nor anything else as an excuse for their play. Not even ailing goaltender Rob Lyng, who had 21 saves, complained about the conditions. "I'm sure it was a problem for [Lyng], but he doesn't talk about it," Anderson said. "I take a lot of pride in it as well, and don't make any excuses. It was hot. We played the game, and that's the way it went." The Crimson did not play terribly by any means, but because of a combination of factors, the team just could not claw their way back into the contest. "The game could have been a different game. We had a lot of man-up opportunities early," Anderson said. "We made some mistakes today...I am not sure that we handled the pressure as well as we could have." One facet of the game upon which the contest truly seemed to turn was the face-off. Virginia used a bevy of midfielders to face-off and ironically took 23 draws to Harvard's 12--the same as the goal tally. "When we're winning face-offs, we're a tough team," Starsia said. Without possession, Harvard's attack could not get into the necessary rhythm. However, it was not just the restarts that Virginia executed masterfully. Their whole game, interior defense, clearing and, of course, the high powered attack, was firing on all cylinders. "We were flying around, passing the ball, and when everyone is moving their feet, we're a hard team to stop," Whiteley said. Hopkins, congratulations on your win over Maryland, but beware. Whiteley was right. When they are playing well, Virginia is hard to stop.