ITHACA, N.Y.--Maybe it's a curse.

Whatever it is, it has twice prevented the Harvard women's soccer team from winning crucial games this season.

The last time the Crimson was at Cornell's Alumni Field, it lost to the Big Red, 2-1, a loss which knocked Harvard out of the race for the Ivy title.

This time, it was the sixth-seeded James Madison Dukes who blew past the second-seeded Crimson, 2-1, in the ECAC tournament semifinals.

It has to be a curse. The Crimson was favored to win each time.

Against the Dukes, Harvard had one goal negated by an offsides call, and once had play whistled dead just before senior Jen Minkus scorched the ball past Chery1 Carr, the Dukes goalie, for the potential tying score.

Against Cornell, the Crimson lost when the Big Red was awarded a penalty kick in the waning moments of the game.

Rotten luck. Twice. It's a curse.

"We were very evenly matched," Co-Captain Robin Johnston said. "It could've gone either way."

Other than the Curse of Alumni Field working its magic against Harvard, it was the impressive speed of the Dukes that won them the semifinal matchup.

James Madison completely disrupted the Crimson's game plan and dictated the game's tempo, which turned out to be a fast, end-to-end style of soccer. Harvard was simply unable to stay with the Dukes.

The Dukes' superior speed enabled them to maintain a high pressure, double-teaming defense that shut down the Crimson's front line of Johnston, Minkus and junior Laurie Uustal.

"They were big and quick through the midfield, and through their forwards as well," Minkus said.

The Dukes' play impressed even their coach, David Lombardo.

"I thought we played some of the best soccer of our season," Lombar do said. "We needed all of it, though, to defeat this good Harvard team."