“We let them off the hook,” McCarthy said. “We didn’t finish the game—we just let go of a pretty strong lead.”

Harvard failed to take full advantage of its 11 6-on-5 opportunities, converting only three into goals, while Iona managed to score each time it drew an ejection.

Despite limiting the Gaels’ biggest threat, junior Cecilia Leonard, to just an assist, senior Maggie Wood and junior Mackenzie Mone helped avenge the squad’s earlier loss with four goals apiece.

“They tried to work it into the center looking for kickouts,” McCarthy said. “They were pretty heavy on [Mone and Wood] down low on the posts.”

HARVARD 9, BROWN 5

Earlier that day, the Crimson cruised to another victory over Brown to open its three-game series in the tournament.

“We were the ones setting the pace of the game,” Purcell said. “It really felt like our game. We controlled this game even more [than the last time we played Brown].”

Sophomore attacker Aisha Price and junior co-captain Devan Kennifer led Harvard with three goals and three steals each, while McCarthy added 12 more saves to her season total.

Having played nine games since last Saturday, the Crimson is more than ready for its two-week break from game play. The season will pick up again on March 13 when Harvard will launch its seven-game run through California.

—Staff writer Patrick Galvin can be reached at pgalvin@college.harvard.edu.