A few minutes after McBride’s score, Buecker took a pass from teammate Rory McCarthy and shoveled a low ball past McKenna. Then, with 2:55 left in the third quarter, Fairfield attackman Troy Bamann found Buecker, who fired in another successful attempt on goal.

Buecker added his fourth of the day to close the gap to 9-7 when he scored at 5:25 into the last quarter.

But the Crimson shut down the rest of the Stags players and barely flinched at the end. Packard helped on several good clears late in the game, and the stickwork of junior midfielder Doug Logigian enabled the Crimson to run out the clock. Wich had a goal with 2:43 left for the final Crimson tally.

Noting his team’s constant pressure in the Fairfield zone Saturday, Anderson pointed out the simple reason for Harvard’s success.

“The strength of our team is athleticism,” he said.

The final statistics bore that out. Harvard finished with a 34-28 shot advantage and also held an impressive 38-20 edge in ground balls.

McKenna finished with 11 saves.

Harvard takes its undefeated record on the road Wednesday, when it travels to Worcester, Mass., for a 7 p.m. contest against Holy Cross.

M. Lacrosse 10, Fairfield 8

At Jordan Field, Allston, MA

Fairfield (2-2) 2 0 3 3 — 8

Harvard (4-0) 2 3 4 1 — 10

Scoring: Fairfield Goals: Werney 3, Buecher 4, Bamann 1. Fairfield Assists: Bamann 1, McCarthy 2, Scipioni 1. Harvard Goals: Wich 2, McBride 2, Gottschall 1, Nowak 1, Primm 1, Christian 1, Baly 1, Nejman 1. Harvard Assists: Gottschall 1, Nowak 1, Primm 1, Logigian 1, Vap 1. Shots: F 28, H 34. Saves: F Kemp 14, H McKenna 11. Ground Balls: F 20, H 38. Faceoffs: F 11, H 12. Extra Man: F 0/2, H 0/3.