The Crimson began strongly, as Blain and midfield counterpart Ashley Berman barely missed on a few choice opportunities early in the first half, but Yale's defense kept the pressure on, preventing any early goals.

Fancy footwork came from the duo of Meredith Stewart and Yenne in the 36th minute, and Harvard just missed notching the first score of the game.

Stewart took a long pass by the sidelines, just barely staying in bounds. With a short pass, Stewart set up Yenne in front, but she could not finish. That scoring chance foreshadowed Yenne's key goal in the second.

After almost 40 minutes of rough and scoreless play, Yale got a good rush that nearly resulted in a goal. The Bulldogs' Jennifer Mendoza was alone in front of the net, but Harvard co-captain Jessica Larson, a mainstay in the back along with freshman Katie Urbanic, kept the Crimson out of harm's way.

As Mendoza set up for the shot, Larson dived in front in a desperate measure to protect Gunther and clear the ball, a testament to the perpetually strong Harvard defense.

Yale seemed encouraged by its strong offense, and the Bulldogs dominated the final minutes of the first half in the Harvard zone.

"We knew coming in that they were going to be really working hard," Blain said. They were gunning for us. They love Yale, the love to beat us."

After another physical but scoreless first half, much like the Crimson's match-up against Columbia last week, the tide turned for the better.