But while a concern does exist, it is not one to lose too much sleep over.

"I have a lot of faith in our defense," Hansen said. "They're young people who are great athletes. I don't see a huge problem there."

With leadership provided by Clark and goaltender Leary, the remainder of the defensive unit hopefully gel quickly and establish a much-desired airtight defense.

As the final line of protection, Leary consistently provides incomparable play between the poles.

Last season, the goalie amassed 160 saves with a save percentage of .687--opposing teams averaged a mere 5.17 goals against Leary.

If necessary, her ability would be enough to carry a less-than-stellar defense for much of the season.

"We're a young team, but we're slowly gelling," Hansen said. "We're a unified team--we work well together."

Strength of Schedule

This season, the Ivy League fields several impressive squads--among them, Princeton, Yale and Dartmouth.

"This is the Ivy's strongest year," Kleinfelder said. "The league showed well at William and Mary."

But nonetheless, Harvard still looks to seize its twelfth straight Ivy crown.

"It's not unrealistic to think we might be in the run for the title," Kleinfelder said. "If the league is strong, winning will serve us well in post-season play."

"I'd like to say we'd win the Ivy League--it's a definite goal," Hansen said. "And I'd like to make it to the NCAA tournament."

For the Crimson, the road begins on Saturday as the team travels to Pennsylvania for its season opener.

It's so easy to take a championship team for granted. Another season, another Ivy title...is it too much to ask?