While the scoreboard may not have shown it, the Crimson did tie up some old loose ends, playing a midfield game that at times seemed tighter and more careful than Syracuse’s. Yet while Syracuse turned the ball over more in the first half, they also dominated Harvard on picking up draw controls, with seven to the Crimson’s two. After halftime, Harvard put up less impressive turnover statistics, giving up 14 to the first half’s six, but they also picked up five draw controls to the Orange’s one.

The difference in the game was palpable, as Syracuse outscored the Crimson by only one goal in the second.

Harvard’s performance in the second half lent a silver lining to the loss, as it came against one of the top teams in the nation. Syracuse took the field fresh from defeats by No. 3 Georgetown and No. 6 Virginia.

“We learned definitely that we need to come out stronger in the first half and be ready to play from the first whistle, and also that we can play with some of the top ten to fifteen teams in the country,” Noon said. “It’s especially important going into the Ivy League season going up.”

The Crimson will see their first action on the road Wednesday at Connecticut at 3 p.m.

Starting goalie, sophomore Kathryn Tylander, who spent all but 48 seconds in goal for Harvard, may be missing. Tylander was injured with less than a minute left in the game and walked off the field with assistance.

—Staff writer Samuel C. Scott can be reached at sscott@fas.harvard.edu.