Ex-Harvard Assistant Coach Nicole Crepeau returns to Ohiri Field today.

But this time, she's on the wrong sideline.

The last time Crepeau was in Cambridge, she was helping the Harvard women's soccer team to last year's 3-2-1 Ivy League record.

Now, she is leading a very strong Providence team and looking to thrash her alma mater.

Crepeau has won a school-record 11 games in her first year, including victories over Yale, Brown and national power Hartford.

"Nicole's done a great job," Harvard Assistant Coach Stacy Flionis said. "Providence has always had great athletes, but it took a good coach like her to get them organized."

"She was a great player and a great coach," Co-Captain Amy Weinstein said.

But don't think this respect and admiration will soften the Crimson players' competitive edge.

They would dearly like to show their old coach that they can get along just fine without her.

Place Your Bets

While Providence is ranked 20th in the country, records against common opponents suggest this will be a great game.

The Lady Friars beat Yale, 1-0, but Harvard won 2-0. On the other hand, the Friars defeated Brown, 4-3, while the Bears had previously defeated Harvard, 3-0.

"These two teams are very even," Flionis said. "If either team gives just a little bit, the other team will take advantage."

The burden is on the Crimson, then, to come out strong, unlike the way it has in the last three games.

The Crimson's mercurial play makes it extremely difficult to predict how it will match up against the Lady Friars.

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.

"I don't think you'll see that happen again. Defensively, we're much more disciplined than we were earlier in the season," Flionis said. "Our overall game is stronger now, too."

If the Crimson can neutralize Lyons and take the ball upfield, they will run into the other strength of the Providence team, the imposing presence of sophomore goalie Jen Mead.

"Mead is one of the strongest goalies in Division I soccer," Flionis said. "She's a great athlete, tactically smart, and she has a great natural sense in the goal."

So far this season, Mead has a 9-3-0 record, and has allowed 11 goals in 12 games for a 0.94 goals-against average.

Out of Position

But in front of her lies the weakness of the Providence squad.

Because of a lack of depth on defense, Crapeau has been forced to start two midfielders in the back-field, one of them at sweeper.

Their inexperience at their new positions could be the chink in the Friars armor.

"While they are good athletes, they are not natural defenders," Flionis said. "They are inexperienced and cautious."

If the Crimson can take advantage of this weakness, Mead could be in for a long day.

She may be a great goalie, one of the best in the country, perhaps. But as Weinstein put it, "she can't stop them all."

The rumble will start at 2:00 this afternoon.