Unfortunately, the Crimson lost its grip on the match, as Navy then went on a powerful run of its own to jump ahead, 10-6.

Harvard scored two last minute goals, but its efforts proved fruitless, as it closed out the weekend with a second loss.

HARVARD 17, MERCYHURST 8

Mercyhurst entered the day undefeated but left with two defeats—one of which came in the form of a Harvard blowout. Midway through the first quarter, Harvard trailed, 4-1, but eventually settled down defensively, only giving up four more goals over the remainder of the game.

Without senior attacker Luka Babic, Harvard turned to its strong freshmen class for contributions.

Harvard coach Ted Minnis praised the performance of Holland-McCowan in this game.

“Against Mercyhurst, [he] had a great all-around game ... He probably played his best collegiate game thus far,” Minnis said.

In the decisive effort, Harvard’s defense congealed and brought a better energy to the pool compared to its morning matchup.

“Our intensity was there; we really focused on the defensive end,” Minnis said.

BUCKNELL 18, HARVARD 8

Harvard’s weekend opened with a rude welcoming from the Bison. Bucknell (3-1) entered the matchup undefeated, and kept on rolling.

The Crimson suffered from a slow start, falling behind, 5-0, after just a quarter.

“We didn’t play our best against Bucknell,” Minnis said. “They’re a very good team, but we made a lot of errors.”

Harvard put up an improved effort in the second and third quarters, trailing each by only one goal.

Bucknell closed the game in similar fashion to the way it has played all year—by dominating.

The Bison spread the wealth, with six players scoring multiple goals. Senior co-captain Spencer Richly scored four goals, and teammate Alex Nowlin had a team-high six points with three goals and three assists.

Throughout the game, Harvard struggled with penalties, giving up eight 6-on-5 opportunities. The Bisons converted five of the eight man-advantage chances.

Despite being overpowered by Bucknell’s transitional speed and precision, Minnis emphasized that the team didn’t leave empty-handed.

“We learned some lessons from it and hopefully we’ll grow as a team from it,” Minnis said.