1996

Sports Statistics

Record: 15-2, 7-0 Ivy

Ivy Finish: First

Coach: Tim Wheaton

Key Players: Junior Emily Stauffer; Sophomores Naomi Miller and Devon Bingham

1997

To the 1,500-strong crowd on hand at Ohiri Field on Nov. 17, the Harvard women's soccer team's heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the NCAA tournament's first round must have seemed--excuse the Berraism--like deja vu all over again.

Just one week after an own goal had blemished the Crimson's otherwise sparkling 3-1 Ivy League clincher against the Brown Bears, No. 10 Harvard bowed out to Atlantic-10-champion UMass in triple overtime on a tragically similar own goal.

The loss, Harvard's second to UMass in the Crimson's last two NCAA appearances, ended what had been a near-perfect campaign.

Harvard blazed through its regular-season schedule, posting a 15-1 record and a perfect 7-0 Ivy mark to take its second-straight league crown.

But despite wins over Texas and Cal Poly-SLO in an October road swing, and a thrilling 2-1 loss to No. 4 UConn, Harvard came up short in its quest to shine outside the Ancient Eight.

Coach Tim Wheaton, in his tenth season with the Crimson, steered an extremely talented program to its highest win total since 1984, when Harvard last notched an NCAA win, reaching the Eastern Regional Championship.

Wheaton's club combined a potent offense with the Ivy's stingiest defense, outscoring league opponents 19-3 and dominating play in a conference in which it has not lost since 1993.

Junior midfielder Emily Stauffer once again paced the squad on offense, collecting a team-best 36 points on 13 goals and 10 assists, including two game-winners.