The 10-1 loss was actually as close as Harvard would come to UMass in the three matchups between the two teams, the cream of the Bay State.
The New England's, at Harvard the next weekend, were Harvard's last home games, and the final tournament before New England Divisionals, which would determine a spot at Easterns.
Harvard won both its games, 15-1 over Wellesley and 17-12 over Brown, but the latter win was less convincing than the Crimson would have liked in its tune-up for better competition down the road.
"We knew we were the better team, but we let ourselves play down to their level," Naber said.
After a win over Mount Holyoke and a second loss to UMass, 16-2 in Amherst, Harvard entered Divisionals confident that it was New England's second-best team, but skeptical due to its lackluster showing against Brown and in practice.
The Crimson did not disappoint, posting sound wins over B.C., 22-6 and 13-5, and Brown before suffering its third loss to UMass on the season, 19-3.
"I was kind of worried about the team going into Divisionals because our practices have been flat," said Gahan after the tournament. "But the team pleasantly surprised me, going out and whipping B.C., then playing its best match of the year against Brown."
Needing a top-three finish to qualify for Easterns, Harvard beat out Brown for second behind the Minutewomen.
"UMass is just in another stratosphere," said sophomore Angela Munoz.
Harvard got its chance to enter that stratosphere the following weekend, April 24-26 at Maryland. It failed, but the season was not a failure.
After a long bus ride to Maryland, Harvard opened Easterns on the evening of the 24th against typically-weak Queens College. The Crimson was able to overcome its initial grogginess to post a 14-5 victory.
"It was an eight-hour trip, so we were feeling a little stiff and a little flat," said sophomore Katherine Hodge. "We didn't have to play our best to beat them."
The real disappointment of the weekend came the following morning, when Villanova handed Harvard a 12-10 loss, rallying from behind to snatch away the win after the Crimson led most of the way.
The heartbreaker was a major setback because Harvard was one of several teams battling for the two qualifying spots behind UMass, so a loss to a non-contender was unacceptable.
But rather than give up after its first loss, Harvard went out and played one of its toughest games of the year against host Maryland.
"We were all pretty pumped after the loss to Villanova and we wanted to show Maryland a thing or two," Hodge said. "It was one of the best games we've played as a team this season."
Unfortunately it was an 11-4 loss and eliminated Harvard from contention for a spot in the national tournament. But the Crimson rebounded with a 9-4 win over Brown, who played its own season in Harvard's shadow.
The season held just one more game, a rematch against Slippery Rock. The score was knotted at seven after 21 minutes, but the Rock scored seven unanswered in the final quarter to ice the game and hand the Crimson its sixth place finish.
It may be a mixed blessing for Harvard that next season, good won't be good enough. The Crimson graduates six seniors--including co-captains Naber and Amanda Moger, along with Ingrid Anderson and Gunderson returning to help anchor a strong class of returnees, Harvard water polo may finally be ready to take the next step.