Despite five saves from goalkeeper Alexis Wolgemuth, the Herd dropped its second game of the season 1-0 against Harvard on Monday, Aug. 26.

Harvard kept Wolgemuth on her toes all evening. The Crimson launched 22 shots and six shots on goal toward the Herd goalkeeper. The only ball sneaking by Wolgemuth came in the 28th minute off a deflection to give the Crimson the go-ahead goal.

The Herd stood tall on defense but struggled to find any offensive momentum. The closest Marshall came to a goal was from a Luiza Travassos free kick that caused Harvard goalkeeper Rhiannon Stewart to make a difficult save.

The Harvard defense limited the Herd to two shots on goal and allowed zero corner kicks. Both teams accounted for 14 fouls.  

The Crimson are the Ivy League Preseason favorites and have advanced with a win to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 the last two seasons.

Leaving Cambridge, the Herd is left searching for its first win of the season and first win under new head coach Rafa Simoes.

“Today was a great test against one of the best teams in the country,” Simoes said. “They are a great team and will do great things this season. We proved we can perform toe-to-toe with the best in the college system. I am a proud coach tonight, and we need to focus on Belmont, which I expect amazing support from our unbelievable fans and community.”

Marshall’s next match-up will be at home on Sunday, Sept. 1, against Belmont at 2 p.m.