"We're a good ball possession team, we do a lot of movement off the ball. We move the ball quick," Kerr said. "In the first 25 minutes of the game I don't think they touched the ball hardly."

Harvard's ball control left relatively little to do for junior goalie Dan Mejias, who made four saves to earn his first career shutout. Mejias nearly lost his clean sheet in the 89th minute when one of West Virginia's freshmen, Mike Austin, had an empty net and trickled the shot wide left by a few inches.

"The most challenging part was keeping my head in the game," Mejias said. "We were going forward a lot, it was important to keep the defense organized...so their one opportunity on any of the counters wouldn't go in."

But it was the Crimson's freshmen that left a lasting mark on the game. Harvard has 15 rookies on its roster and Kerr placed three in his starting lineup. For better-or-worse, with only seven juniors and seniors combined on the squad this green group is Harvard's depth.

Back Isaac Kim, one of the three starters, particulary impressed, proving extremely tough on headers and keying Harvard's transition game.

"All the freshmen came in and made an immediate impact," Kerr said

Kim's rough play did land him into trouble, garnering a yellow card in the 85th minute for a hard foul. Edwards, Buan, and Peller also received cautions from the referee. Only one Mountaineer was booked.