“It’s a big rivalry,” Babic said. “They were pressuring us and we didn’t execute well.”

Harvard’s performance was marred by turnovers and unforced errors, and Brown was quick to take advantage.

“They capitalized on our mistakes,” Minnis said. “That’s what a top team does.”

HARVARD 15, CORNELL 6

Nine players scored for the Crimson in the blowout win Saturday afternoon. DiSilvestro opened the scoring 50 seconds into the game, but the Big Red responded with an equalizer 20 seconds later.

From there, Harvard pulled away. Freshman 2-meter John Hollan-McCowan netted two goals and the Crimson held an 8-3 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

Harvard continued their attack in the second period, with freshman 2-meter Ryan Rule contributing two of the Crimson’s four unanswered goals.

Cornell was suffocated by Harvard’s defense throughout and struggled to find any rhythm.

Their frustration was obvious at times—two Big Red players got into a shouting match mid-game.

Sophomore goalie Jimmy Field turned in a solid performance in net, allowing only two goals in the half as the Crimson cruised to a 15-6 win.

Harvard will now shift its focus to a critical matchup next Saturday.

“This weekend was the final tune up for [CWPA Northern Championships], which remains the most important part of our season,” Popp said.

The Crimson needs a first-round victory against rival MIT to advance to the Eastern Championships. The team’s seniors are determined to play another game together at Blodgett Pool.

“It’s a great group of guys,” Minnis said. “They’ve stuck together and decided we’re going to finish this thing strong.”