But with the game on the line, Harvard’s youngest players played like veterans.

Less than three minutes after the Minutewomen’s Merritt Cosgrove knotted the score, Dal Col was able to find the back of the net. The rookie took the ball unassisted and beat UMass’s Katie Florence to retake the lead.

Once again, the Minutewomen would claw their way back into the game, tying the score again off a shot from Haley Smith.

This time, VanderMeulen would be the one to step up, rushing down the field and scoring off a free position shot just 35 seconds later to give Harvard the 9-8 lead.

The Crimson defense would hold strong over the final 10 minutes of play, keeping UMass from getting on the scoreboard and giving Harvard the 10-8 victory.

Senior Katherine Martino anchored the Crimson in net, finishing with seven saves in her first victory of the season.

Harvard had the benefit of being able to scout the Minutewomen—who have already played four games this season—and was able to prepare for and respond to UMass’s aggressive and physical style of play.

“We kind of knew what to expect from UMass, and we tried to capitalize on their weaknesses,” VanderMeulen said. “We knew that UMass had high-pressure defense, so we tried to take them one-on-one.”

The strategy was largely successful, as only two of the Crimson’s 10 goals were assisted.

In addition to employing high defensive pressure, the Minutewomen also focused on shutting down Halpern, who accounted for 28 percent of her team’s scoring a season ago. Facing heavy defensive attention, Halpern was only able to come away with a single shot.

But with the addition of such an offensively-talented freshman class, Harvard’s opponents will soon have to think twice about where they focus their attention.

“I’m sure teams are going to go after [Halpern] again, until they realize they have more than one person to worry about,” McMahon said.

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.