But a number of factors indicate that the Crimson could return to its stellar midseason form.

The first factor is the home field advantage. The comfort of Ohiri field and the familiar surroundings give the Crimson an edge over the Lady Friars.

"We always play well at home," Weinstein said. "We like the size and feel of the field here. It helps us a bit."

The Crimson is 5-1-0 at home, with the only blemish a strong 4-1 loss to second-ranked Connecticut.

The second factor is the gradual improvement of the Crimson's game after terrible showings against Cornell and Yale.

"Against Princeton, we felt our game coming back. We took some quality shots and started generating the scoring opportunities like we had before," Weinstein said.

The last factor for the Crimson is Crepeau's presence--on the other side of the field. The team will be motivated to send her whimpering back to Providence.

"This game is not all in fun," Weinstein said. "They're favored, but that doesn't mean anything on Tuesday."

Crepeau is equally determined to triumph over her old team and has arranged a formidable array of talent to help her.

Strong Points

The Lady Friars are particularly strong in two areas: on the front line and in goal.

The Lady Friars' leading scorer, sophomore Kerry Lyons, is an aggressive and frighteningly quick forward.

"She is their most dangerous player," Flionis said. "Not only is she extremely fast, but she runs everything down and plays hard."

Speed has given the Crimson a lot of trouble in the past. Harvard lost to Brown and Boston College in part because of breakaway goals by forwards who could simply out-run the entire defense.

But Flionis contends the Crimson has matured to the point where it can handle players like Lyons.