The Harvard women's lacrosse team scored in the first and last minutes of its game last night at Brown, but in between, it was all Bears, as the Crimson dropped its Ivy League opener to fall to .500 overall.

Both teams entered the game coming off losses, with Brown (1-2, 1-0 Ivy) having been crushed 20-4 by No. 1 Maryland and Harvard (2-2, 0-1) having suffered a disappointing 8-3 loss to Notre Dame on Sunday.

In addition to trying to get back on the winning track, Brown was also seeking to avenge its 11-10 loss last year at Ohiri Field.

After falling to the Fighting Irish, the Crimson knew it had significant room for improvement, but two intense practices on Monday and Tuesday reinstilled an optimistic mood into the Harvard locker room.

The Crimson's newfound enthusiasm was evident during warmups, as the entire team seemed prepared to play on grass for the first time this season. This excitement carried over into the game, as sophomore midfielder Katie Shaughnessy took a pass from junior Erin Kutner thrity-eight seconds into the contest and staked Harvard to an early 1-0 advantage.

"Often times, the tempo of the game is set by the first draw," freshman Jen Brooks said.

However, that was not the case in this match. Within two minutes, Brown equalized on a goal by sophomore Robin Juliano and, five minutes later, freshman Laurel Pierpont took the lead for the Bears with a free position shot.

Freshman Ashley Harmeling drew the Crimson back even as she took a pass from Kunter and beat a pair of Brown defenders to score with just under ten minutes elapsed in the game.