"We didn't start off aggressively, but [UNH] definitely started off the game playing well," Brown said.

Finally, however, Harvard's attackers warmed up to the challenge with four unanswered goals. With 3:20 remaining in the first half and the game tied, 3-3, Birch scored another goal for Harvard to give the Crimson what would be a short-lived lead.

UNH came back to tie the game and, with a few seconds left in the first half, scored again to take a precarious 5-4 lead into halftime.

The two teams picked up where they had left off in the first half. The Wildcats started the half with two consecutive goals, quickly grabbing a 7-4 advantage.

But Harvard racked up three unanswered goals to tie the game at 7-7 with 15 minutes left in the game. The two teams then exchanged goals.

The second rally turned out to be Harvard's last gasp for the match. UNH went on to score three out of the next four goals as Harvard failed to keep up with a strong Wildcat offense. The Wildcats went on to garner the 11-9 victory.

"During the last two minutes, the score was 10-8, and we had possession for most of that time," Brown said. "We just weren't able to get good looks or make accurate shots at the end. Basically, our biggest challenge during the game was getting over the time mark."

The Crimson can still take a few gems with it from this match. Harvard's offense, crowded by talented freshmen, has attempted all year to find the right chemistry between the older players on the team and the new kids on the block.