“I think it would definitely be good to hit the double-digit goal mark,” Cohen said. “But we have confidence in our defense and our goalie that if we do score nine on a certain day, they’ll pick us up.”
One thing the Harvard offense will especially focus on tomorrow is getting off to a fast start. The Crimson trailed Holy Cross, 4-1, last weekend before pulling ahead. The team also fell behind, 13-8, against the Hoyas, before mounting a furious rally but eventually falling, 13-12.
“Coming out of the gates quick is something we’ve focused on,” Geist said. “I’m pretty confident we’ll do that this weekend.”
The offense will try to do so against inexperienced Minutemen goalie Tim McCormack, who will be starting just his fifth career game and first against a ranked opponent. The sophomore has defeated Albany, Sacred Heart, and Hartford but lost to Yale, and he owns a .379 save percentage on the season.
“I played against [McCormack] in high school,” Cohen said. “He’s a really good player. Maybe the fact that this will be one of his first big-game starts could be an issue, but I wouldn’t bank on it. He’ll come to play.”
One of Harvard’s biggest strengths this season has been its ability to cause turnovers, forcing 23.7 per game. However, they will have a tough time maintaining that average against a Massachusetts team that has averaged only 14.25 giveaways per contest.
“If we can get one or two extra possessions in a game, in a one-goal game that could translate to a win for us,” Cohen said.
Last season, the Minutemen forced 14 Harvard giveaways in handing the Crimson its worst loss of the season, 7-3. In that matchup, each team was ranked one spot higher than it is now—Harvard came in at No. 11, and Massachusetts was No. 17. Hayes and Kell each had a goal in that game, and the Crimson was unable to do much scoring against Minutemen senior goalie Doc Schneider despite outshooting Massachusetts 39-21.
That defeat has fueled Harvard, especially the team’s seniors, who want to improve their record to 2-2 against their interstate rivals. Retribution is something that will certainly be on the minds of the entire team.
“All week, coach has been harping on us that last year they came into our home stadium and bullied us around a little bit,” Cohen said. “So that’s definitely on the back of our minds.”
“It was our toughest loss last year,” Geist added. “A pretty emotional loss for a lot of guys. So we’re definitely excited about this weekend, and hopefully we can win it back.”