“They’re a counterattack team,” Mejias said. “We knew that we would dominate posession, but that they could explode past our seven guys attacking and bring 10, 15, or 20 minutes of pressure.”

Junior Crusader forward Matt Ney led the charge, streaking down the right side, beating defenders to the ball and setting up several Holy Cross chances.

“[Ney] is always dangerous,” Kerr said. “Anytime he’s in the box, near the ball, he’s a problem.”

The Crimson defense appeared tired and unenthusiastic as they had trouble clearing the ball. They seemed an entirely different squad from the one that had so dominated the first half.

“Midweek games are the hardest to come out for,” Lenicheck said. “You just have stay determined, stay focused and then you’ll pull through.”

It took a fine effort from Lenicheck to resurrect the Crimson offense.

Junior sweeper Mike Lobach stole the ball near the Crimson crease and brought it near midfield before sending a long, beautiful pass to a bolting Lenichek on the left side.

The Crimson captain cut inside, beating the lone defender before blasting the ball in the top right corner. It was the Somerville, Mass., native’s fourth goal of the season.

After the goal, a newly motivated Harvard offense continued to press the issue, finishing the game with 14 shots.

Their renewed attack, however, was not without pockets of resistance from the Crusaders. With three and a half minutes to play, Ney approached the goal from the right side and attempted to cross the ball to the middle. Mejias, wholly blocking the angle and guarding the post, came up with a nice save.

The second half saw another resurection of sorts in the fine play of Mejias, who had been inactive since the Crimson’s September road-trip to California.

Frusstrated during a 3-1 loss on Sept. 23 at Loyola Marymount, Mejias shouted at his coaches and teammates.

“I lost my cool in the heat of the moment,” said Mejias, who was suspended following the incident.

Mejias has since seen his starting job usurped by Roth, whose fine play has kept him in the lineup.

“Jamie came in, and he’s playing well. That’s why he’s in, not because of what happened to me,” Mejias said. “I simply gave him the oppurtunity,” he added.