After the half, Harvard caught fire with a four-goal streak. Midfielder Sean Kane burst open the floodgates, crossing in front of the goal and scoring at 9:10 in the third with an assist from Mahler.
But the Crimson was just getting started. Cohen picked up a loose ball and passed to McBride, who recorded his second goal of the game from far outside the left post to bring the score to 7-3. Junior midfielder Tom Boylan ran from middle of the field towards the right goal post to score Harvard’s eighth goal only 31 seconds later.
But freshman attackman Brooks Scholl really rounded out the run in style. After a missed shot, Scholl brought the ball from behind, running tight around the right post and flinging it directly into the net.
“You never know what to expect with freshmen,” Samuelson said. “That first game showed us that they’re ready to play.”
After the Crimson gave itself a comfortable lead with a score of 9-3, the Crusaders pushed themselves back into the game with a goal at 5:46 in the third period. It was a rare display of strength from Harvard’s usual doormats.
“[They are] definitely the best Holy Cross team since I’ve been here,” Wannop said.
But they obviously had not learned their lesson as Scholl, bringing the ball in again, repeated his same move, to score a goal for Harvard and rack up his second tally of the game.
The Crimson then went on to finish the game strong with two more goals in the fourth period when Cohen caught a pass from Samuelson to score at 11:19. Attackman Zach Widbin, after scoring three goals in the season opener and earning Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors, got his only goal of the game when he caught a ball from Scholl and scored from the right side.
After two strong wins, Harvard is ready and willing to dive into the season, as the team prepares itself for its first Ivy League game against Penn on March 26th. Before that, however, the Crimson travels to Connecticut to take on Fairfield this Saturday.
—Staff writer Abigail M. Baird can be reached at ambaird@fas.harvard.edu.