In the tournament opener, Harvard and Auburn (5-1-1) fought to a scoreless tie on a windy, rainy Friday afternoon in a game characterized by tight defense and suffocating goaltending on both sides.

“It was one of those ties that felt more like a loss,” Hodel said.

Despite what the scoreboard said, the Crimson believed it was the superior team in the contest.

“We dominated, but we just couldn’t finish,” Westfall said. “It was pretty lopsided.”

Harvard had numerous chances in the two overtimes. As the Crimson defense held the Tigers without a single shot in the two sessions, Harvard peppered the Auburn goal with five, including four on target.

“A couple of those shots seemed like they were going in for sure,” Hodel said.

Earlier in the match, it was a different story, as the Tigers outshot the Crimson 12-7 in regulation—6-2 in the first half alone.

Shields made six saves to keep the score tied while the Crimson probed the Tiger defense.

“A lot of balls were just dumped in [toward the forwards], with no direction,” Hodel said.

Harvard returns to action on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. when it opens its Ivy League schedule, hosting Penn at Ohiri Field. The team is optimistic about its chances in the upcoming Ivy season. Moreover, it’s certainly well-prepared—the Crimson has played a team in the current top-25 each of the past three weekends, losing by just a goal each time.

“We’re confident in ourselves,” Hodel said. “Having experience makes us more dangerous. We feel that we can win the Ivy League Championship hands-down.”