Brian Tedder, Collegian Staff

As torrents of rain pounded the Garber Field turf on Saturday afternoon, the Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team hoped its attack would pour goals into the net of in-state rival Harvard. However, another poor offensive performance resulted in an 8-5 loss despite strong play on defense.

The Minutemen (1-2) took a 2-1 lead into halftime but allowed Harvard (2-1) to score six consecutive goals through the third and fourth quarters to put the game out of reach. Like last weekend’s loss at Yale, the Maroon and White struggled consistently to create quality scoring chances, while relying too much on junior goalkeeper Doc Schneider (eight saves).

“I thought we were ready to play and that the guys were focused,” Cannella said. “We missed some opportunities early, and for a team that’s struggling to score, that hurts your confidence. I didn’t think we had very good shot selection. We need to find a way to score some goals.”

UMass hopes to put this loss behind it with a quick turnaround as it faces winless Albany (0-3) on Tuesday afternoon at Garber Field.

Though the Minutemen did a good job of controlling possession by creating 17 Crimson turnovers, UMass simply failed to take advantage of its offensive opportunities. Chances that could have resulted in goals became easy shots that Harvard goalkeeper Joe Pike easily turned away.

The loss prompted Cannella to search for ways to solve his team’s offensive woes after the game.

“We really don’t have anybody that’s breaking [the defense] down,” Cannella said. “We have some good athletes, but we don’t have anyone who can beat a defender off the dodge. That’s what creates offense. When you don’t have that, a defense can just sit in there and wait.”

With the inability to penetrate, many UMass shots came from the 10-15 yard range that barely challenged Pike. Even when the Minutemen created separation, many shots went directly into the Crimson goalie’s stick.

But with a 2-1 advantage at the half, it looked like the Maroon and White might escape Garber Field with a win.

However, as the rain briefly subsided in the third quarter, Harvard took advantage and permanently retook the lead. The Crimson penetrated the UMass defense by working the ball from behind the net and creating shots directly in front of the crease. Sophomore midfielder Jason Duboe scored two goals late in the period using this technique as a part of his hat trick.

The Minuteman offense showed some signs of life in the final 15 minutes with three goals in that period. But the Maroon and White simply could not string together enough chances to mount a serious comeback.

Cannella experimented with three different face-off men. The coach stuck with midfielder Joe Reale, despite his struggles in the face-off circle (2-for-8). Bobby Hayes and Nick Glasser showed promise with a combined 4-for-7 performance.

Though Schneider and the UMass defense performed well for the third consecutive game, Cannella is not concerned that his defenders will become jaded by the team’s inability to consistently score.

“I think their approach is very good; I don’t think they get that frustrated,” Cannella said of his defense. “You just tell those guys to keep doing their job, and we know they will because we have a lot of confidence in them.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Harvard started the scoring early in the second. UMass then scored a pair of goals 20-seconds apart to take the lead just before halftime.

Game Notes

The Minutemen failed to cause any turnovers with its ride, as the Crimson cleared the ball a perfect 15 times