“We did a great job pressing and transitioning seamlessly,” Caples added. “It was impressive. We think of a press as being attack-oriented, and we did a great job in the organization of that.”

Although the Crimson executed the press well, the Cardinal was able to use its speed to thwart almost every opportunity Harvard was building, especially near the net.

“We need to be able to penetrate the circle and get some more shots or at least draw some corners,” Caples said. “Those were tough to come by for us today.”

“Their flat-stick tackles are great,” Dickson added. “They’re very solid on defense, [and] they have good positioning.”

Goalkeeper Cynthia Tassopoulos made eight saves on the day, keeping the Crimson in it for most of the game.

“Cyn was as ever rock solid in the goal cage,” Caples said.

With Stanford being probably one of the best teams Harvard will face all year, the team was proud with its performance against the seventh-ranked team in the nation, and it hopes to use this tough matchup as a building block for the rest of the season.

“We did more than hang in there,” Caples said. “We competed. We played with them … These are the ones you love to play to see how you measure up.”

“We like playing these types of games because it picks up our level of speed and our level of play,” Keller said. “When you play a tough team like this, it brings out the best in you.”

We were tested and we tested them and we’re a better team after today. But now what do we do, what’s next, and that’s exciting to see.”