“It’s a great way to attack the season,” she said. “Once the little things go right, the bigger concept plays can happen from there.”

Besides strengthening their skills, the women have been working on developing strong communication, something important both on and off the field.

“The [team] dynamic is very good, because we have a very vocal and open team,” Pais said. “We need the freshmen, and we need them to be vocal. The lines of communication are wide open between the veterans and the freshmen.”

Harvard will need to apply the skills that are stressed in practice in order to cope with a daunting schedule.

New this year to that schedule is Johns Hopkins, a formidable team bolstered by a fast offense and the expert skills of midfielder Angela Hughes—a senior who played for two years on the U.S. Developmental Team.

Also in the schedule is a match against No. 3 Penn, which enters the season as the three-time defending Ivy League champion. Last year, the Crimson fell hard to the Quakers, 18-9, but Harvard will get another shot at them on the road on March 15.

Other Ivy opponents should pose significant challenges as well—four Ancient Eight teams are ranked in the top 20 nationally.

“All of the Ivy games are usually difficult,” Pais said. “It’s a good league for lacrosse. Most of those will be tough, but we’re ready to play those games because those are the most exciting too.”

Harvard looks to hit the ground running as, after a four-game road stretch, the Crimson will take to Jordan Field for its home opener against No. 12 Boston University on March 17.