“We came out much stronger in the second half as Cornell didn’t score until there was about eight minutes left in the game,” McMahon said. “We were playing better on-ball defense, off-ball defense, and the correct rotations. We made some stands and [junior golie] Kerry Clark made some incredible and key saves to keep [us] ahead.”

Sophomore Danielle Tetreault responded to the Knott’s goal with one of her own, making the score 13-8 with seven and a half minutes remaining in the game.

But Cornell would not give in.

The Big Red charged back with four consecutive goals, pulling within one on a score by junior Jessi Steinberg with 27 seconds remaining.”

“Of course [you] gets nervous when your lead starts to shrink and the other team seems to be making a comeback, but we just knew the [upcoming] draw control was critical,” McMahon said.

With the score 13-12, VanderMeulen faced off on a key draw. If she won the draw the Crimson could simply run out the clock and end Cornell’s dramatic comeback.

Vandermeulen won the draw control, allowing Harvard to run out the clock and seal the victory.

“The game was very emotional, and big momentum swings allowed both teams to go on scoring run,” Baskind said. “Being consistent is definitely something we’re working on and will need to figure out…I think we were successful today because we stepped up when we needed to most.”

The Crimson would have preferred to not have to sweat out the final moments, but at the end of the day, the team was pleased to win its first game of the season against a quality conference opponent.

“Hustle, determination, possession, and communication were keys to the victory today, McMahon said. “Obviously getting the win was great for us. There are certainly things we need to work on over the course of the week before we play Penn on our home turf next Saturday.”