“Where defense was the key for us [against Cal Lutheran], it really hurt us against the other teams,” Minnis said.
BOSTON METRO ELITE 9, HARVARD 8
In by far the closest of Harvard’s matchups at the invitational, the Crimson battled it out in an exhibition game against Boston Metro Elite, a club team.
The score was even at the half, and Harvard pulled ahead 7-4 partway through the third period. But Boston Metro Elite responded quickly with a run of five unanswered goals.
The Crimson refused to go away quietly and pulled within one in the last few minutes of play. After a late timeout, Harvard had one more chance to even the score, but when Lee’s shot ricocheted off the crossbar, Boston Metro Elite went away with the win.
Despite the early falters, the Harvard team came out of the weekend on a positive note.
“We kept getting better every game and I think that was the key,” Minnis said. “It’s a staircase, and we’re going to climb all season.”
—Staff writer Madeleine Smith can be reached at smith21@college.harvard.edu.