Further boosting the team's morale, Harvard defeated No. 12 Boston University, 2-1, on Sept. 25.

"B.U. was ranked, and to beat them gave us confidence," Wilmot said. "We started to believe that maybe we did have a good team."

Sophomore Jordan Dupuis made nine saves in the win and the strength of the senior corps (eight returnees from 1995) was manifest. Senior Kevin Silva's goal broke a 1-0 Terrier lead in the second half, and Wilmot scored the game-winner with 1:08 remaining.

A solid core of freshmen emerged to complement the veteran senior pool.

"The freshmen were very important to the team," Silva said. "They're a talented class--they'll be good for years to come."

Goaltending wizardry carried the Crimson to three shutouts in its next three games, a feat last accomplished in 1987 when the team went 14-1-3 and reached the NCAA semifinals. This season Central Connecticut, Lafayette and Penn all fell to Harvard which, at 6-1, was off to its best start in a decade.

In the team's first seven games, McLaughlin had three goals--including two game-winners--and six assists for 12 points. He would finish the season with 41, fourth-most in New England.

"Tommy had a great individual season," Silva said. "It's a tribute to his own personal abilities as well as to the team. Everyone knew all along he had it in him."

Harvard dispatched Boston College, 4-1, on Oct. 9, with captain Wil Kohler recording a hat trick. Loyola, however, proved stiffer opposition. The Crimson weathered a scoreless first half before goals by Wilmot and McLaughlin pushed the team to victory, 2-0.

"We made winning a habit," Silva said. "We were confident in every game. We were never really a cocky team, just a confident one."

Three days after the Loyola victory, encouraging news came from Ithaca. Penn had shutout Cornell, dropping the Big Red from first to third in the league.

Cornell rebounded to stave off Dartmouth but Harvard (4-1 in the league) leaped ahead of the Big Red (3-1-1) in the Ivy standings by defeating Princeton, 2-0, on Oct. 26. The men's soccer team paralleled its football counterparts, as both shut out the Tigers on the same day.

McLaughlin, who notched a hat trick in a 5-1 trouncing of Maine on Oct. 15, tallied the game-winner against Princeton off a corner kick by Kohler.

Next up was a home game against Dartmouth. Kohler scored the winning goal when he rebounded McLaughlin's shot from off the post and drilled it into the net with just 5:29 into the game.

With the 2-0 victory the Crimson clinched at least a tie for the league crown.