But Dowling said Harvard's place in the ECAC tournament was secure from the start.

"Three things stood out about Harvard," she said. "Their over-whelming winning record, their victory over a top 10 team [Massachusetts, a 1-0 win], and the over-all strength of their schedule, which included two top 10 teams [Massachusetts and Connecticut]."

Seeding Harvard second was also an easy choice, according to Dowling.

"We obviously couldn't seed Harvard first, because they lost to Cornell," she continued. "But we felt Harvard was much better than UNH, because UNH's schedule was not that strong and included no wins over top 10 teams."

The regional ECAC tournament is held simultaneously with the nationwide NCAA tounament. While the top three New England teams are tapped to compete in the more prestigious NCAA tournament, the ECAC provides post-season play for other strong teams which did not qualify for the NCAA's. This year, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Hartford will play in the NCAA tournament.

The ECAC tournament berth represents an important step forward for the women's soccer program at Harvard, according to Weinstein.

"You have to establish yourself before you can challenge nationally, and I think we have established ourselves now," she said.

"The team next year can think about national possibilities, and shoot for more than just the ECAC's.

"This was a tremendous step for us," Weinstein said.