The Harvard women's lacrosse team hopes to return to its winning ways this afternoon when it faces the Brown Bears at Ohiri Field.

Harvard (8-1 overall, 3-0 Ivy) is currently on a two-game losing skid having dropped heartbreakers to both Loyola and the Scotland National Team.

Of course, neither loss hurt the Crimson in a practical sense. Harvard remains the top-ranked team in the nation. (Loyola moved up two slots to fourth.)

Harvard is still sitting pretty in the polls, but the past two losses do pose a concern for the Crimson. The once formidable Crimson attack has been losing steam as of late. Lack of consistent ball control and occasional mental errors have led to a stalling offense.

Harvard has also fallen into a habit common to confident, powerhouse teams. After a strong start, many teams tend to rest on their laurels, making it much easier for opposing squads to pull off a upset.

Fortunately, today's game should provide Harvard with an opportunity to work out some of the kinks in the machinery. Assuming that all goes according to plan, Brown (7-5 overall, 1-3 Ivy) will provide no problems for the far superior Crimson.

"Brown is not doing well right now," Coach Carole Kleinfelder said. "They're young. Their shooting is not as good as ours."

A junior triumvirate of Karen Song, Anna Saalfield and Melanie Bartol spearheads the Bear attack. All three are among the leaders in Ivy league scoring. Bartol was also recently named to the Ivy League honor roll for her offensive production.

However, the Bears' defense remains questionable as goalie Daphne Hilaris holds a 7.50 goals-against-average.

Brown does have one factor in its favor: It is in prime position to upset the number one team in the nation.

"They have nothing to lose," Co-Captain Sarah Leary said. "They'll be gunning for us."

"Our biggest opponent now is ourselves. It's a question of us being ready," Leary said. "I don't think anyone can stop us but ourselves."