The Dartmouth women's soccer team is tied for the first place in the Ivy League with a 5-0-1 record.

The Big Green has allowed just two goals in its six Ivy contests.

Kari Reuter, the Dartmouth goalie, is saving more than 95 percent of the shots on goal, and has a 0.29 goals-against-average in Ivy play.

Dartmouth has defeated Brown and tied Cornell, two teams which have each defeated Harvard earlier this year.

Dartmouth Coach Steve Swanson would seem to have every right to be confident of a victory against the Crimson today at Ohiri Field.

As good as his quad might be, however, Swanson knows that he cannot underestimate the sometimes enigmatic Harvard women's soccer team.

"We have a lot of respect for Harvard," Swanson said. "They've got some very high caliber players down there, and [Harvard Coach] Tim [Wheaton] is doing a fantastic job with them."

While Dartmouth has had a tremendously successful season and is playing with the Ivy League championship on the line, Harvard actually believes that it is fielding a stronger team.

"If we can play hard, we can win," Harvard Assistant Coach Stacy Flionis said. "We are the better team, if we're playing well."

But the phrase, "if we're playing well," has been the catch for the Crimson all season. At various times throughout the season, Harvard has played well enough to compete on the national level. At others, it has barely squeaked by cupcake opponents.

If Harvard plays to its full potential, Dartmouth is in trouble, and Swanson known it.

"They've done very well this season," he said. "We are not overconfident about our chances."

Swanson has to hope that the Crimson comes out flat. If the Crimson does come out flat, Swanson will do his best to exploit his advantage.

But the Big Green's offense is not the kind of unit that can rip defenses to shreds.

Dartmouth's foundation is its exceptionally strong defense, not its explosive offense.