Last season, Harvard field hockey squeaked by Holy Cross before stumbling to three straight losses. Perhaps after dominating the Crusaders in 2009, the Crimson can look forward to a better result.

Harvard (1-0) opened its season on Saturday with a 4-1 victory in Worcester, Mass., handing Holy Cross (0-2) a resounding defeat on Hart Turf Field.

Junior Chloe Keating led the way for the Crimson with two goals and an assist, while sophomore Carly Dickson set the table on two occasions to bolster Harvard’s attack.

The two returning stars paired up for a goal early on, as Keating deflected Dickson’s shot from the top of the circle past Crusader goalie Kelly Casey 12 minutes into the contest.

“It was a play we had practiced a lot and it worked well all preseason,” Keating explained. “I got a great feed from Carly and didn’t have to do much.”

Following the early goal, Harvard rarely found itself in danger as the squad cruised to a 3-0 first-half lead. The Crimson dominated in most facets of the game, earning a 12-8 advantage in shots as well as an 8-4 edge in penalty corners.

The ample number of scoring opportunities allowed Harvard to be aggressive on offense.

“Our forwards were really active and everyone worked well together,” co-captain Kristin Bannon said.

“In particular we executed our penalty corners, where we scored two of our goals.”

Keating proved to be one of the most aggressive competitors, getting into the action on most of the Crimson’s scoring chances.

Minutes after her first goal, the forward returned the favor of an easy set-up by finding freshman Emma Keller in the middle of the circle. Keller did not waste the opportunity, firing a low shot past Casey on the right side for her first collegiate goal.

Sophomore Allie Kimmel followed five minutes later with her first career goal on an assist from classmate Dickson, demonstrating how much the Crimson will rely on its less-experienced athletes this season.

“We have a very young team this year and it’s awesome that they opened the season with a contribution,” Bannon said.

“It’s a great way to give [the younger players] confidence going into the rest of the season and their contribution will be crucial.”

Keating also emphasized the importance of young players, given a large reduction in the 2009 squad’s size. Harvard boasts only 15 athletes on its roster this season, down from 20 last year, and Keating noted that the rookies must be ready from day one.

“Our freshmen did a great job,” she said.

“Because of how small we are, they will have to step up and contribute right away. They don’t really have time to get acclimated to collegiate athletics.”

Despite being thrown into the fray, Harvard’s rookies appeared up to the task on Saturday.

A three-goal lead proved more than sufficient for freshman goalkeeper Cynthia Tassopoulus, who earned a win in her debut with solid play in net.

Although Holy Cross midfielder Alanna Sikorski converted a penalty corner at the end of the first half to pull the Crusaders within 3-1, Tassopoulus maintained her composure, notching a save and deftly diffusing a number of opportunities to quell any hopes of a comeback.

The squads found themselves locked in a scoreless battle for much of the second half, but the Crimson’s consistent edge on offense eventually led to a breakthrough.

With less than seven minutes remaining, Keating secured the ball among a crowd in the circle and fired a shot through the Holy Cross defense for a decisive 4-1 advantage.

“It was a very strong performance and a great way to start the season,” Bannon said.

“We battled tough and adjusted well...And hopefully this game sets the tone for the rest of the year.”

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.