AMHERST, Mass.--A 3-0 loss to the University of Massachusetts in the first round of the NCAA tournament certainly wasn't the way five Harvard seniors--co-captains Beth Morgan and Genevieve Chelius, Sara Simmons, Libby Eynon and Caroline Schreiber--wanted to see their collegiate careers end.

But the loss, as disappointing as it was, marked the final journey in one helluva ride for the quintet.

Three years ago, the Crimson went 9-5-1 and fell in the first round of the ECAC tournament, college soccer's equivalent of the NIT in basketball.

The 1992 and 1993 campaigns were rather disappointing ones where Harvard had sub-500 records, finishing in the middle of the Ivy standings.

More of the same was expected by most outsiders for this season, but did the team ever surprise them and the nation.

"We came here, we kicked ask, we should have been Ivy league champs--that in itself is a big step," Simmons said after yesterday's game. "We were called the darkhorse of the Ivies because nobody knew what we were going to do."

"It was a fantastic season, and we were a fantastic team," she added.

Obviously the freshman class had a big thing to do with this year's success--Harvard's three leading scorers were all rookies. Emily Stauffer (6 goals, 6 assists), Keren Gudeman (4 goals, 6 assist) and Kristen Bowes 4 goals, 2 assists kick-started the attack all year.

And freshman Dana Krein was in goal for all but 34 minutes of the season.

However, the team wouldn't have been the same without its seniors, whose leadership both on and off the field carries a lot of weight beyond the stat sheets.

"People talk about our freshman class and the youth on our team, but really without those seniors we would not have been close to the team we were," Coach Tim Wheaton said after Saturday's 3-3 draw with Brown. "All of our seniors did an awesome job for us all year long."

"I'm so proud of them," he continued. "I can't say enough about them."

Schreiber didn't see too much action this year, but she was solid in the eight games she did play. when others were injured in Ivy contests against Yale and Penn, Schreiber filled in solidly and helped the team win the two games.

Chelius, also a defender, battled through leg problems almost the entire season. A stress fracture in one leg kept her out of a few games, but nothing would stop her from playing the pivotal contests against Dartmouth, Brown and UMass.

She can't walk the day following a game, but she played as well or even better than people with two healthy feet. And she helped lead her team to a success that no Harvard squad attained since 1984.

"A tie and a loss isn't the way you want to go out, but this is the best way to finish four years," Chelius said. "Playing for an Ivy championship and getting an opportunity to play in the NCAA championship are two special things."

Simmons was Harvard's top goal-scorer among upperclassmen with three. She may not have been as quick as the Crimson's other forwards, but she more than made up for that with her determination and aggressive play.

Few players took a loss harder and expected more out of themselves than Simmons, but that drive brought out the best in others.

Simmons and Eynon, another hard-working forward, gave it their all at the end of yesterday's game, even though a win was out of their graps. They each worked hard for loose balls, and Eynon just missed breaking the shutout in the last minute.

Eynon's also made the most out of her limited playing time this season, scoring the game-winner against arch-rival Yale, while tallying on a spin-a-rama move last week at Holy Cross.

I'm really sad that my years are over, but it hasn't hit me yet," Eynon said. "Our team did so well this year, and I'm so proud of them. They're going to be great in the future.

And then there's Morgan. Morgan improved tremendously from last year to this and led by example on the field.

Her finest moment may have been her perfect 40-yard strike against Cornell in the team's second Ivy match. That goal built up the Crimson's confidence, and Harvard went on to win, 2-0. That win more than anything else propelled the club to the success it had, as it would reel off five consecutive Ivy victories before tying Brown in the Ancient Eight finale.

Morgan also played through injuries this season, but they didn't dampen her spirit or caliber of play. When it was all over yesterday, Morgan was overcome with emotion, but in the long run, she has nothing to be sorry about.

Overall, an end to college career is always difficult to swallow, especially when one doesn't finish with a championship. But for these five seniors who have given so much to the soccer program over the last four years, the success that the team had this year is a tribute to their determination and leadership, in addition to the hard work and drive of everyone else.

And it was only fitting that all five were out on the field yesterday as time expired. Wheston made sure that the were together in their final collegiate moments.

Maybe next year the will win the Ivy championship and/or go their into the NCAA tournament, but these five can always look back and say that they were there when Harvard women's soccer was reborn.

I'm Jealous that I'm not coming back next year, because this team is going to have a strong future," Chelius said. "They have a lot of talent, lot of skill, a lot of desire, a lot of people how know how to win, and I think they're going to do a lot of winning next year."