The Harvard women's soccer team heads to the Sunshine State this weekend, where both the temperature and the intensity will be a few degrees higher.

The Crimson (8-1-1, 4-0 Ivy) is looking to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games with wins over Butler University and University of Miami in the Miami Invitational this weekend.

The youth movement will be in full effect as all three teams post lengthy rookie rosters, which has not detracted from any of their performances. In fact the young teams have all performed better than expected in their respective leagues.

"UM and Butler are both solid, but very young," co-captain Jessica Larson said. "We are confident that we can do well, and are pumped to go to Florida."

The Crimson will face off against Butler today in the first round of the tournament. The Bulldogs (5-6-1) are riding high in the top spot in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, thanks to a solid 3-1 victory over league rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This is a remarkable feat, considering Butler started the season 0-5.

Butler's freshmen talent has more than paved the way for such a turnaround. The Bulldogs' secret weapon is a trio of rookies who together are responsible for a record of 5-1-1 since late September.

Freshman forward Kara Bryan, recently named MCC Athlete of the Week, leads Butler with five goals and 12 points this season. But what has proven most impressive about Bryan is her impeccable timing. Four of her five scores have put the Bulldogs on the board, and three of them have tied up the match for the Bulldogs.

Not far behind is fellow freshman forward Martha Gudiel, who is second on the team with four goals, one of which was a game-winning tally against UW-Milwaukee. And her counterpart, freshman Clayr Mimikos, has proven to be an offensive force as well, tallying three goals on the season for the Bulldogs.