“We’re going to have to play disciplined defensively,” Petrucci said. “Get them away from the goal, keep the ball off our half of the field, and move the ball around well.”

In this matchup, each team hopes to set the tone for its midseason stretch of games that will follow.

Brown’s next matchups include Bucknell University and Providence College, two squads that are coming off of recent losses.

Harvard will face stalwart opposition when it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the No. 5/4 University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ offense, which averages 16.2 goals per game, is second only to No. 13/13 Albany, which beat Harvard, 14-8, at the beginning of the month.

But, for now, the Crimson has to remain focused on Brown, which finished tied with Harvard for fifth in the Ivy League in 2013. In 2014, both teams are a threat to break the top four of the conference and secure an Ivy tournament bid.

For Harvard, last year’s game in Providence mirrored other conference losses to Cornell and Yale in which the Crimson jumped out to an early lead but could not hold on.

Harvard coach Chris Wojcik ’96 and the team enter this year’s league play with a new motto.

“Our team’s motto this year is ‘buckle down,’” Schwartz said. “That means we go out, play hard, and get the job done.”