De Tecqueville

The rest of the season is, as they say, history.

"I never thought we were a bad team," Shattuck said. "But all throughout the season the kindest category they could put us in was up and down. Even after we won five games in a row, all you heard was 'Harvard, the up-and-down men's soccer team.'

"But after we had the slow start, we played well, so I think we're finally out of that mold."

As the season's nine weeks wore on the Crimson, from goalkeeper Matt Ginsburg to center back Ian Hardington, who has been a tower of strength in the back four and has appeared on the scoring chart as well, and Captain Lane Kenworthy, a striker who is one of the team's scoring leaders, has steadily improved from a talented squad that outplayed its opponents but couldn't put the ball in the net into a highly talented squad that has outshot, out defended, outmaneuvered, and, most importantly,--outscored the opposition.

Now playing in its first post season tournament in a decade, the Crimson needs to continue to play at the level it has recently.

Its first opponent, UConn, has developed into a program which has become a dynasty on the national and local levels. Its players have gone on to the U.S. national team, the NASL and the MISL.

Unlike many soccer teams, the Huskies have averaged over 3,000 fans this year, creating an atmosphere which one coach said "could scare God Himself." They are respected in the NCAA for their ability to draw fans (read make money).

But Harvard believes that it can repeat its earlier victory over UConn. "We're better than them, and we showed it on a nice day and a nice surface," striker-midfielder John Catliff said.

The Crimson has turned a bad start into its finest season in 10 years, and it has the potential to make the record even more respectable this Sunday.