Harvard began play in the second half with only three defensive backs, hoping to cut into Princeton's lead. For a while, the new scheme was effective in providing the Crimson with scoring opportunities.

In the 57th minute, junior midfielder Mike Peller sent a cross into the area, but senior Wells Mangurm was unable to redirect the pass into the net. Seven minutes later, freshman midfielder Spencer George had a shot from 20 yards out, but his effort sailed wide right.

Despite the additional chances that the Crimson received from the additional midfielder, the diminished backfield proved to be a fatal weakness.

In the 71st minute, Tiger sophomore forward Matt Douglas settled a pass and turned to attack. Douglas was able to come into the box unmarked and force Mejias to come out and make a play. Mejias slid on the wet grass and took out Douglas, which gave Princeton a penalty kick.

Behncke converted on the penalty kick and gave the Tigers an insurmountable 3-0 lead with less than 20 minutes to play in the game.

"It is so tough to come back from a 3-0 deficit, especially on the road," Kerr said. "[The third goal] was the dagger in the heart."

The frustration of being unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities was apparent on the faces of the Crimson players. As an embodiment of this frustration, captain Ryan Kelly received a yellow card in the 81st minute for starting a physical confrontation with a Tiger defender.