The Crimson returned to the Northeast and began conference play against 11th-ranked Hartwick, dropping the game, 15-8.

In one of the most exciting matchups of the season, Harvard took on rival Brown at home in Blodgett Pool and battled to a 7-6 overtime victory.

McCarthy kept the Bears’ powerful offense in check, giving the Crimson a chance to clinch the win.

“We got a great game out of our goalie,” Harvard coach Erik Farrar said after the win. “McCarthy played her best game of the year.”

Sophomore Monica Zdrojewski, an All-Northern Division first-team honoree, capitalized for the Crimson and scored the winning tally with just over a minute left in the extra period.

“I think that it was one of our best games,” Molnar said. “Technically...everything was really perfect.”

Unfortunately for Harvard, it couldn’t keep the momentum going and went on to lose its next five games.

With a group of young athletes and a new coach following Farrar’s resignation in May, the Crimson’s future may appear a bit uncertain, but returning players are confident the team will triumph and improve on this season’s disappointments.

“It’ll be interesting because we’re getting a big recruiting class, but for the first time in a long time we’ll have more upperclassmen than underclassmen,” McCarthy said. “We’ll see how it goes, but we know we’ll stick together no matter what.”

—Staff writer Madeleine Smith can be reached at smith21@college.harvard.edu.