A strong defensive performance helped the No. 12 Harvard men’s lacrosse team secure a 10-4 victory over Providence in its season opener at Jordan Field. The Crimson, now 1-0 on the season, have won their third consecutive opening day game against the Friars.
Teddy Malone led Harvard’s offense with four goals and two assists, totaling six points. Jack Speidell contributed one goal and two assists for three points. In goal, Graham Stevens made eight saves and allowed only four goals, marking a career low.
The Crimson defense played a key role by causing 12 turnovers as a team, with Joost de Koning and Wyatt Wiggins each recording three. Owen Umansky went 8-for-16 on faceoffs and collected a team-high six ground balls. Nathan Cobery scored his first two collegiate goals during the match, while Logan Ip, Jack Petersen, and John Aurandt IV also added to Harvard’s scoring.
Harvard outshot Providence 33-25 and held an advantage in ground balls at 35-19. The defense forced a total of 20 turnovers from Providence and limited them to just one goal in the second half and one goal over the final 43 minutes of play. Providence was held scoreless for nearly 32 minutes between the second and fourth quarters.
The game began with Harvard taking an early lead after goals from John Aurandt IV and Teddy Malone. Providence responded with two goals in the first quarter but trailed Harvard 3-2 after Jack Petersen’s goal for the Crimson. After Providence tied it at 3-3 early in the second quarter, Harvard’s defense shut down their offense for an extended period while the Crimson scored three straight goals before halftime.
Coming out of halftime, Harvard continued its scoring run with three more goals—two from Malone and another from Cobery—extending their lead to 9-3. Stevens made three saves in the third quarter to help maintain this margin heading into the final period.
Providence managed one more goal early in the fourth quarter but could not add further points as Stevens stopped their remaining attempts. Speidell sealed the win for Harvard with his first goal of the season late in regulation.
Following this win, Harvard will return to Jordan Field on Tuesday night to face Colgate at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast regionally on NESN and streamed on ESPN+.
