“Hopkins is obviously a very talented team,” said VanderMeulen, who finished with one goal on four shots. “I thought we came out a little timid and that hurt us in the first half.”

Part of the Crimson’s struggles resulted from trying to adjust to the aggressive style of play Johns Hopkins employed. The Blue Jays defenders doubled the Harvard attackers, making it difficult to find an open path to the goal.

Senior goalkeeper Katherine Martino picked up her first loss of the season in net, finishing with seven saves while allowing 15 goals.

One bright spot for the Crimson was the play of Baskind, a soccer standout who made her debut on the lacrosse field this season.

After tallying an assist in her first game, Baskind added four scores in her second game, helping to keep Harvard within striking distance.

“Mel was hustling all over the field today,” VanderMeulen said. “She really helped us all over the field.”

In addition to her four scores, Baskind caused four turnovers and won three draw controls. But despite her strong individual performance, the midfielder remained disappointed with the contest.

“You can’t really be too happy when the team doesn’t do well, but hopefully it’s a sign of things to come,” Baskind said.

Although the Crimson will return north, the team will still have to find away to win on the road, as its next two contests will take place outside of Cambridge.

“We need to come out stronger,” Baskind said. “The beginning of the game is very important—we definitely saw that [Saturday].”

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