In fact the Crimson nearly let the game get away with seconds remaining in regulation. Gross once again took advantage of a Harvard defensive lapse to take off on a breakaway which left her one-on-one with Browning. Browning, who only recently wrested the starting job from junior Jen Burney, saved the day, rushing out to knock the ball away form Gross and preserve the tie-game. In the process, however, she sustained an injury which knocked her out of the game.
Browning's exit to resounding sympathetic applause highlighted her top notch performance in goal and instilled a new sense of purpose in the Crimson.
"The kids were inspired. They just wanted to step up and do it for her," Wheaton said.
Still, George Mason hung tough, and the first two overtime periods passed without a goal.
Harvard's attacking spirit nearly triumphed in the 124th minute, when Ivy League Player of the Year Miller sprinted past the last George Mason defender with the ball at her feet, only to be taken down roughly as she bore down on Pagliarulo before she could even get a shot off.
The crowd appealed for a penalty kick, but referee Reta Brown continued to pursue her laissez-faire policy and refused to blow the whistle.
"A defender kicked my ankle from behind," Miller said. "I didn't think she was going to call it though."
It made no difference, of course, as seven minutes later, Berman found herself with the ball in the corner staring at an unmarked Erin Aeschlimann, who took the shot which Miller finished so easily.
The victory, Harvard's first-ever Sweet Sixteen success, sets up a nightmare matchup against top-ranked North Carolina, 13-time national champion, at Chapel Hill. The Tarheels (22-0-1), who field several of the nation's best young players, have beaten their first two tournament opponents by a combined 11-0. Wheaton remains upbeat, though.
"We can give anybody a game on any given day," he said.
The Crimson might do well just to stay in the game on Saturday, but for now, its players are proud of their best-ever NCAA Tournament performance.
"We have absolutely nothing to lose," Miller said.