Nothing more accurately describes the mood at Jordan Field on Saturday after Harvard's 3-2 overtime loss to Princeton than disbelief.

After Melanie Meerschwam stuck a loose rebound past tri-captain Anya Cowan into the back of the Harvard cage to end the game, it seemed totally improbable that a game in which Harvard had never trailed and looked certain to win could end so abruptly and so plainly.

Abruptly, because Cowan had just made a full-extension save off a booming penalty corner shot, and plainly, because Princeton had tied the game with 6:11 in regulation on basically the same play.

Cowan had stopped the initial shot on a corner with a glove save to her right, but the Tigers' Ilvy Friebe corralled it and chipped it above the sprawling keeper into the top of the cage.

Leading Princeton, the Ivy champions for the past five years, 2-1 on the strength of two goals from freshman sharpshooter Kalen Ingram, the Crimson (9-5, 3-2 Ivy) was in position to hand the Tigers only their second Ivy loss in their last 37 league games.

But Harvard allowed two goals, both on rebounds off penalty corners, and left Princeton (7-5, 4-1) alive in the Ivy race, while the Crimson will need a minor miracle to catch first-place Brown (11-2, 5-0).

The Tigers had lost four straight games, all to Top 20 teams, and were reeling. A loss to Harvard would have all but put them out of title contention. But Princeton had something extra going for it.

Often, veteran teams with extensive playoff experience win games they aren't supposed to win, and respond with wins when they're most needed.