Harvard had one real chance to score, but sensational play by Bulldogs' goalie Tina Pihl rejected consecutive point-blank shots by Minkus and Laurie Uustal.

Needless to say, Crimson Coach Tim Wheaton was not happy with his team.

"We were playing like we were underwater," he said.

"We were really flat," Johnston said. "We were unsure how we we're going to play after Cornell [a 2-1 loss], and I guess we played scared."

After an "invigorating" halftime pep talk, Wheaton sent his players back on the field against the hopeful Elis.

"[Wheaton] fired us up a bit for the second half," sweeper Erin Matias said.

The improvement was obvious less than five minutes into the half, when Miller took a midfield pass from sophomore Laura Flynn and outraced her defender to the goal box. There, she crossed the ball to a waiting Minkus, who knocked the ball in for the easy score.

But Yale would not give up. They regained control of the ball and returned play to the Crimson goal area. Again, Donahoe made the great saves, and again, Yale could not score despite outshooting Harvard, 14-7, in the second half.

"We just couldn't finish," Duffy said. "We had lots of chances, but we couldn't finish."

Schneider provided the insurance the Crimson needed. With 20 minutes to go, she chased down a missed cross, then turned and launched a shot over the unsuspecting Elis goalie for the first collegiate goal of her career.

Donahoe and the Crimson defense were able to hold off the Elis' desperation attacks to seal the shutout victory.

However poor the quality of team play may have been, the game illustrated a strength of this Crimson squad: outstanding individual talent.

While the team foundered, Co-Captains Johnston and Amy Weinstein carried the team on offense and defense.

Johnston turned in an especially strong performance. Her breakaway drives kept the Elis' defense in their half of the field. She also helped out on defense, surprising the sometimes complacent Yale forwards.

"All day long, she turned no-win situations into dangerous scoring opportunities for us," Wheaton said.