Up until that point, Harvard had pretty much stifled Northeastern during the second half. The Huskies were able to gain a physical edge on the Crimson during the first half, but during the halftime break, Kerr encouraged his team to answer Northeastern's challenge and compete more physically.

The Crimson evidently took its coach's words to heart once play resumed. Sophomore forward Jon Oslowski struck quickly at the start of the second half with his second goal of the season off a pass from fellow sophomore Nick Lenicheck .

"Coach pretty much told us that we had better pick it up," Steffa said. "We were off our game in the first half."

Oslowski had entered the game roughly halfway through the first half, replacing starting forward Alan Bengtzen, who had suffered a mild injury to his right ankle. Bengtzen sat out the remainder of the game, but said afterward that he did not expect to be out for an extended period of time.

Oslowski's goal seemed to provide an emotional lift of sorts, as the Crimson's play steadily improved throughout the remainder of the match.

"In the first half, I was disappointed with the way we played," coach Kerr revealed. "But in the second half, we really increased the intensity."

Despite the unevenness of its effort, the Crimson certainly was pleased with the end result, especially considering the absence of Kelly, who is out indefinitely with a broken hand. The Crimson was able to compensate for the loss of its leader, thanks, in part, to some spirited play by Steffa, who collected a goal and an assist on the afternoon.

Steffa, making his first collegiate start, drew first blood for Harvard when, less than four minutes into the game. He collected a nicely placed corner kick by senior midfielder Ryan Keeton and headed it into the Huskies' goal.