Then Gamble began to take control. Her goal with 21:34 remaining, assisted by Owens, cut the deficit to 7-5, though UMass responded two minutes later to regain a three-goal lead.

But the Crimson’s furious comeback continued. Gamble netted another goal with 14:27 to go, and Owens’ second score of the game at the 12:06 mark brought Harvard to within one at 8-7.

UMass clamped down on defense, though, as the Crimson spent the next 11 minutes frantically trying and failing to tie the game.

Then, with just 1:03 remaining on the clock, Belitsos beat UMass goaltender Lauren McCarthy on a Gamble assist to tie the match at eight.

Gamble completed her hat trick in overtime, scoring at the 4:44 mark on an assist from freshman midfielder Caroline Hines to finish an improbable victory.

Harvard was outshot for the contest 31-22, mainly because of a poor first half in which UMass held an 18-7 shot advantage. The Crimson made some halftime adjustments and beat the Minutewomen 13-12 in shots in the second half. Harvard found the net on six of those shots, compared to just one for UMass.

The Crimson won the ground ball battle by an astounding 38-10 margin, including 18-1 in the second half and 4-0 in overtime.

“It’s pretty huge,” said Driscoll of the victory. “We had to set the pace for the season and prove that we can play together as a team.”

The Crimson hosts Boston College in its home opener on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Jordan Field.