“There was a lot of heart out on the field,” Purse said. “Everyone pushed their way through.”

The lone goal of the half came with 39 minutes left to go when Midge Purse collected a ball that bounced in her direction and drove it into the back of the net. The goal came as the result of a rebound following up a powerful attempt by Casscells-Hamby that Borkan failed to control.

“There were a lot of us in the box, we got the ball down there, and we scored. It was determination. We all put that ball in the net,” said the freshman of her first college goal.

New Hampshire was able to fend off the Crimson in a tense last half hour and a hectic last two minutes to hold onto the victory.

“I think UNH did a good job giving us fewer chances and making us work harder for the ball,” Johnson said.

The Crimson’s trouble finding the back of the net continued. Despite outshooting its opponents, 28-15, in two closely fought battles over an encouraging weekend out west, the Crimson only managed one goal and lost both games.

“It hurts,” Purse said. “You leave it all out there, and you don’t get the result that you wanted, but that’s the game of soccer.”

Harvard was in familiar territory playing from behind against the Wildcats. Last year, the squad also fell behind, 1-0, before scoring a pair to take the match, 2-1.

The match marked the first game the Crimson played at Soldiers Field this season. The last time Harvard lost its home opener was in 2006, when it fell to Central Connecticut State. Last season, the Crimson recorded a 4-2-3 record at home.

Before Wednesday, Harvard hadn’t lost to New Hampshire in eight seasons.

—Staff writer Daniel A. Grafstein can be reached at dangrafstein@gmail.com.