Elizabeth Jacobson notched her first career hat trick Tuesday against UMass Lowell (Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – On a damp night at Jordan Field, the Harvard field hockey team (6-2) put on quite a first half performance, tallying six goals en route to a 6-0 shutout of UMass Lowell (4-6) Tuesday night. Junior Elizabeth Jacobson led the scoring charge, notching her first career hat trick, while Issy Davies and Olivia Startup each played one half in goal for the combined shutout.

The Crimson was the dominant team from the get-go, ripping 13 shots in the opening stanza, while the River Hawks managed just three. Harvard ended the game with 21 shots, its second highest total this year, behind the 24 it unleashed on Holy Cross. The Crimson did attempt a season-high 13 penalty corners. The six goals scored were the most since the 2010 season-opener against Holy Cross when the Crimson topped the Crusaders, 6-1.

Harvard was quick to strike, as sophomore Marissa Balleza fired a rapid shot into the cage after evading a defender to give Harvard a 1-0 advantage just 1:11 into the game. The goal was Balleza's team-high sixth of the year.

Senior Kaitlyn Boudah recorded the Crimson's next two scores to give her four on the year. The Colchester, Vermont, native made it a 2-0 Harvard lead at the 6:47 mark when she jammed home a rebound off a Balleza shot that hit the post. Her second goal came just over four minutes later, rocketing a one-timer from freshman Ellie Cookson past UMass Lowell goalkeeper Kelsey Federico.

Jacobson took over the scoring duties for the remainder of the half. Her first two tallies came off penalty corners for the Crimson. Noel Painter set up Jacobson from the end line for Harvard's fourth goal at 18:44 and just over a minute later, a Caitlin Rea touch pass from a set penalty corner play led to Jacobson rifling a shot into the back of the cage. The Branchburg, New Jersey, native capped the scoring, and completed the hat trick, at 24:23, using another nice pass from Painter to get by the River Hawks defense before slapping home another goal.

Despite not scoring in the second half, the Crimson kept the pressure on, outshooting UMass Lowell, 8-3, and taking three more penalty corners (5-2). Taking over the goalkeeping duties in the second half, Startup made the first save of her young collegiate career, making a nice kick stop on Marzana Fiedtkou's shot attempt.

A return to Ivy League competition awaits the Crimson, as it heads to Providence, Rhode Island Saturday, Oct. 4 to take on Brown at 1 p.m.