Harvard (1-0) defeated Hofstra (2-1) in its season opener at Soldiers Field Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday. Although the Crimson headed into halftime neck-and-neck with the Pride with a tied score of 4-4, Harvard managed to edge out Hofstra, 6-2, in the second half, clinching an overall four-goal victory, 10-6.

In the opening period, the two teams put up interchanging goals, with neither team possessing greater than a two-point lead throughout the half. On offense, the Crimson executed three of its four first-half goals from free position opportunities.

To open up the second half, sophomore attack Maeve McMahon fed a pass to Carolyn Bruckmann, who tallied Harvard’s first goal less than a minute into the period.

While half of the Crimson’s goals came from free position executions, the Pride utilized settled offense, with five of its six goals coming from assists. Senior attack Brittain Altomare led Hofstra with two assists, both in the first period.

Harvard’s draw control possession, 10-8 over the Pride, benefited the team’s offensive surge. Sophomore attack Megan Hennessey clinched four draw controls while McMahon tallied two of her own.

Capitalizing on isolations and free positions, sophomore attack Marisa Romeo led the Crimson with four goals. Fellow sophomore McMahon buried a transition goal with a few minutes remaining in the second period, leveling the score, 4-4, heading into halftime. Romeo also posted Harvard’s first goal of the game on a free position shot that gave the Crimson its first lead.

The Harvard defense clobbered Hofstra in clear attempts, with the Crimson executing 14-of-15 attempts and the Pride only clearing 13-of-23. Junior goalie Kelly Weis recorded 11 saves in net for Harvard. 

—Staff writer Kelley-Guinn McArtor can be reached at kelleyguinn.mcartor@thecrimson.com.