"We really came into our own as a team that year," says Mainelli, a South Windsor, Conn, native, "and we gained some respect."

A year ago, without the big names of the 11-2-3 season, Harvard dropped to 8-6-1 but moved to within one-half game of the league crown.

And few were more responsible for the continued success than Mainelli and O'Neill, both former high school field hockey, basketball and tennis standouts.

Mainelli, who began her Harvard field hockey career as a right wing but now spends her time on the inside attack, garnered All-Ivy honors on the way to becoming the club's leading scorer.

"In terms of games, we didn't win as many as the year before," says the Social Studies concentrator. "But I never felt like we tried so hard. I think we proved that even without those big names [of 1982] we could still play."

And from her midfield position, the extremely talented O'Neill gained not only All-Ivy honors but also honorable mention. All-American honors, as well.

What's more, as a junior O'Neill also served as captain. "I didn't expect to have to do it," says the Philadelphia native, who was elected to the position at season's start after the team's captain took the year off because of an injury.

"I realized I had a lot of learning to do quickly," she adds.

The success of last year's squad was, at least in part, a result of O'Neill's leadership, Harvard Coach Edie Mabrey says.

After that season, O'Neill says the "really felt like we were part of something that was still on the way up."

And that's what makes the trials of this year that much harder.

With O'Neill back as captain, with the high-scoring Mainelli now a captain, too, and with five other talented seniors still in town, both captains admit "we were expecting big things."

"I don't think we were over-confident," says Mainelli, who is the club's leading scorer with just four goals. "I think instead we had a feeling that things would just flow."

Almost from day one, though, things have gone away.

"I don't know what happened," says O'Neill. "Maybe we relied too much on experience. But I can tell you this: we never, ever felt like losers. We never went to practice with our heads down.