“There’s definitely added pressure to players who might not have felt as much of it early on,” Baskind said. “We know we’re young. It’s just a matter of everyone taking more personal accountability.”

VanderMeulen looks to be the best bet to fill Halpern’s shoes on offense, as she leads the team so far this season with 13 goals, more than double the number held by the team’s second leading scorer.

“She doesn’t back away from pressure,” Baskind said. “She’s dangerous.”

But scoring is not Harvard’s only focus, as the team hopes to clamp down defensively after surrendering double-digit goals to two of its four opponents this season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kerry Clark saw her first action in front of the net this season on Saturday, stopping two shots and allowing six scores in over 20 minutes of action.

The Crimson will happily return to Cambridge for its home opener this Wednesday against Boston University after a brutal four-game road swing that featured contests against two top-20 opponents.

“It’s exciting,” Baskind said. “It will be nice to stay in Cambridge.”