San Diego State, ranked No. 19 in the country, was able to ward off the Crimson’s offense for the majority of the game, with Harvard unable to score more than two goals in each of the four quarters of play.
The game was a defensive battle for both teams, with six Crimson players tallying steals and Dukes recording her season-high save total with 13 stops in net.
Late in the fourth quarter, Harvard was able to tie the game at five to bring the team closer to victory. The Aztecs retaliated with two back to back goals, putting them ahead and ultimately sealing the win.
HARVARD 10, CAL LUTHERAN 3
In its first match up of the road trip, the Crimson offense set the team up for success early.
Harvard scored seven goals in the first half, going up, 7-2, against the Regals (3-16) by the break.
The Crimson’s offense was anchored by Del Toro, who had three goals, her personal best on the season. Junior Victoria Frager followed with two goals and four steals throughout the competition.
Freshman Zoe Osbourne led Harvard in steals with five in the game. Overall the Crimson tallied 18 steals, halting Cal Lutheran’s offensive momentum multiple times throughout the match up.
“This weekend went really well for us, considering we’ve been given the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country,” Del Toro said. “It’s definitely a learning experience for us. We didn’t win all our games, but we did learn something in each of our games.”
—Staff writer Ariel Smolik-Valles can be reached at asmolikvalles@college.harvard.edu.