But by the end of the first period, Harvard was down, 4-1, and the gap was ultimately too large to close.

“It was a frustrating loss,” Farrar said. “We were in it, and we had our opportunities to win, but we didn’t shoot very well. We gave up a couple of goals that we shouldn’t have, and that ultimately decided it.

“We had three rock-solid quarters, but unfortunately against Hartwick, you have to play all four well,” Farrar added.

Indeed, the second period was rock-solid as the Crimson matched the Hawks, scoring three goals apiece. Co-captain Kristina Bergquist and sophomore attack Monica Zdrojewski each chipped in a goal, and junior attack Patricia Smith scored on a breakaway in the strong offensive effort.

But Hartwick’s offensive prowess was clear, as the Hawks easily put the ball away with Harvard defenders on their backs.

“We definitely had our chance,” Farrar said. “But there were no surprises. We were outplayed.”

Helping to preserve a perfect 26-0 record against the Crimson, Hartwick’s sophomore center Allyssa Analytis contributed four goals, despite heavy defense against her.

Junior goalkeeper Jessica Dorman also played a large role, with 12 saves on the night.

But despite the disappointing loss, Harvard too managed to put up strong numbers.

Citing sophomore netminder Laurel McCarthy’s 15 saves, Farrar noted that it was “definitely one of Laurel’s better games.”

Bergquist scored once more in the fourth period to give her two goals for the night, while Zdrojewski chipped in two tallies and also captured five steals.

“It was a bummer that we couldn’t win, but overall we played a pretty good game,” Price concluded.

The Crimson improved on last week’s performance against the Hawks, losing by a margin of three goals instead of seven.

“I was pretty pleased with our efforts,” Farrar said. “We did a lot of very good things.”

For Hartwick, Saturday night’s victory was rewarded with the CWPA North Division regular-season title and an automatic bid to the conference championships.

If Harvard hopes to make it to the competition as well, the team must claim one of two at-large bids, which, according to Farrar, the Crimson has a very strong case for.

“Now, we’re training under the assumption that we’ll go to the conference championships,” he said.