Coming into the game ranked second in the tournament pool and eleventh in the NCAA, the Tigers (31-1, 5-0) had won each of their three previous matchups against the Crimson.

Saturday’s game followed the same storyline as the others, with Princeton’s physical offense overpowering Harvard’s defense early in the game and continuing to do so throughout the contest.

It took a quarter for the Tigers to get their bearings offensively, but a 4-0 run going into halftime put the Crimson down by six goals going into the break.

Harvard broke through in the second half, outscoring Princeton 2-1 in the third quarter. But the offensive effort from the Crimson was too little, too late, as the Tigers went on to win the fourth quarter 3-2 on their way to taking the game.

Balding led the team in scoring with her fifth hat trick of the season, while Price chipped in two goals in the losing effort.

“We didn’t beat any of the teams that were ahead of us,” Minnis said. “This year we lost a lot of close games to good teams and fought hard in most games. It is what it is. I’m proud of this group.”

—Staff writer Ariel Smolik-Valles can be reached at asmolikvalles@college.harvard.edu.