From the changes and perseverance of their first years, the seniors aimed to emphasize resilience and togetherness throughout this past season.
“That is what has brought us to this success: facing adversity and not backing down, pushing forward and not settling,” Nichols said.
Friday’s game illustrated this ability to bounce back, especially after a disappointing 1-5-1 pre-season.
“More than a result, I wanted to see the measuring stick of how we improved, and I think we showed that,” Leone said. “We were fitter, we were crisper in how we played, and it was a good soccer game.”
In addition to individual improvement, Harvard was able to halt Boston College’s notorious attack through experience.
“We’re more played in,” Leone explained of the Crimson’s ability to hold the Eagles to one goal. “We’ve been in a lot of tough battles. I can’t even believe some of the things we have done this year.”
Continuing to push forward in tough battles, Harvard hopes to have the same success next year, now that both the sophomores and freshmen have never been without an Ivy League championship during their college career.
—Staff writer Alex Sopko can be reached at sopko@fas.harvard.edu.