Suddenly, a game that the Crimson seemed destined to lose was tied.

"When you hold a team like that [to one goal] it gives you confidence," Harvard Coach Sue Caples said.

And the Harvard defense did hold the Northeastern attack to one goal, even if that grasp seemed to be as tenuous as possible.

Harvard's junior goaltender, Jessica Milhollin, came up with save after save--16 in all--to stop the Husky offense, which furiously assaulted her.

On the day, Northeastern had 17 corner shots, but they had trouble converting them directly into shots. This was partly due to the fact that the Huskies are accustomed to playing on an astroturf field.

Northeastern nevertheless controlled the ball for much of the first half, scoring its goal on a breakaway with 16:20 left to play in the half.

"They definitely had more shots," Schoyer said. "It was good that we didn't have a letdown."

As the second half began, the Crimson still did not have too many threats on the Husky net.

Slowly but surely, that changed.

"We had so much more teamwork," Allen said, "and so much more communication."

Harvard realized that it could, in fact, keep pace with the eight-ranked team in the country. And the attacks on net came. The game clock wound past 15 minutes as the shots began to appear. Crimson players carried the ball menacingly towards the goal. Slapshots whistled past the goal.

Then, when it was least expected, Schoyer came through. It was her first goal of her career in a game filled with surprises.

Northeastern, shocked by the turn of events, went on the offensive. The Huskies blasted some good shots, but Milhollin was more than up to the task. She had faced harder shots than these earlier, and Harvard's goaltender was not about to let anything past her.

The clock ran past 20 seconds as Harvard's sweeper, Megan Colligan, cleared the ball downfield. The game seemed to be fated for overtime.

Then Shumway was somehow fouled. And the rest will be filed among the ranks of the unbelievable.