Junot feels that Rogers can only get better, not only by sneaking the ball past the goalie but also by putting the game away.

“I think, specifically with our forwards and Brian, we ask a lot more on the defensive end, maybe more than other teams do,” Junot said. “So I feel Brian’s goal scoring ability will continue to improve throughout the season with repetition and what we’re going to try and teach him is to become a better defender as well.”

Against Stanford, Junot moved Rogers from smothering the Cardinal backline to playing on the right wing, using his athleticism to help the Harvard defense fend off Stanford’s final attempts on the goal.

But it is Rogers’ never-ceasing efforts to get behind the backline that have made him so successful and has even frustrated some of his teammates.

“We joke about [Rogers] in practice,” Millock said. “We get angry because he always grabs and pulls but it was nice to see him do it to someone else and have it work.”

Whatever the strategy may be, Rogers will strive to surpass last year’s tally of six goals for second on the team in goals scored. He already has two, and with 15 more games before a probable NCAA berth, Rogers’ chances are looking pretty good.

—Staff writer Brian A. Campos can be reached at bcampos@fas.harvard.edu.