PRINCETON, N.J.--There was no love lost on Princeton's Lourie-Love Field on Saturday night, as the Tigers (7-5, 1-3 Ivy) crushed the Crimson (6-4-1, 1-3), 3-0, in a physical contest.

"In general, we didn't play as a unit," said Harvard Coach John Kerr. "We gave them too much space and they got into a rhythm."

After thirty minutes of rough play that saw both sides struggle on the dew-slicked field, Tiger freshman midfielder Gianfranco Tripicchio broke the game open.

On a nifty play, Tripicchio dribbled past Crimson senior defensive back Matt Edwards and streaked unabated down the right sideline. He then crossed the ball to fellow freshman midfielder Marty Shaw, who blasted the ball low on net.

Unfortunately for Crimson goaltender Dan Mejias, who was prepared for a low shot, freshman back Isaac Kim deflected the ball just under the crossbar. Shaw was credited for the goal, which gave Princeton a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute.

The shock of the first goal paled in comparison to the speed of the Tigers' second tally. Just 40 seconds after the Shaw strike, Princeton senior forward Matt Striebel collected a pass from junior Matt Behncke and rocketed a shot that deflected off the right post and into the goal.

"The first goal was really a fluke," Mejias said. "After that, we just kept our heads down and let them score another one."

After the quick turn of events, which left the Crimson in a two-goal deficit in less than a minute, Harvard struggled to end the first half. Mejias had to make three spectacular saves in the final five minutes to at least give the Crimson a shot to come back in the second half.