The Crimson was unable to get the ball over and behind the Penn defenders so that forwards like speedy freshman Matt Hoff or senior Ladd Fritz could run onto it and score.

With the wind blowing so strongly across the front of the nets, most long kicks tended to tail out of bounds.

“We couldn’t really turn them,” Old said. “We couldn’t really get the ball over the top.”

Harvard was forced to keep the ball on the ground, a game plan that did not fully take advantage of its speed up front.

“It ruined the game, I thought,” Old said. “Penn’s not going to think that, because they won.”

Kerr Takes a Chance

In order to be in any position to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Crimson needed to beat Penn.

Recognizing that a tie wasn’t good enough, Kerr opted to remove a defender in favor of an extra forward after Penn tied the game at one.

Unfortunately for Harvard, the Quakers took advantage of the situation and scored the fame-winning goal less than five minutes afterwards.

“It was the epitome of our season,” Kerr said. “We showed so much, but at the same time it takes one mistake and we’re back at square one.”

The Old vs. The New

Emblematic of Kerr’s willingness to shuffle his starting lineup—and the number of illnesses and injuries Harvard endured this season—is that the only players to start all 17 games for the Crimson this year were Old, senior midfielder Kevin Ara and sophomore back Will Craig.... There’s always next season: Hoff’s goal was his eighth of the year, best on the Crimson.

—Staff writer James Sigel can be reached at sigel@fas.harvard.edu.