As the Crimson pounded away at the Cougar defense, freshman goalkeeper and Ivy League Rookie of the Week Cheryl Gunther prevented the usually high octane BYU offense from even getting close to scoring.

Gunther was helped greatly by the play of Harvard's MVP for the invitational, co-captain Jessica Larson.

Larson--a perennial All-Ivy defenseman--contained the dangerous and explosive Cougar forward Maren Hendershot throughout the first half until the BYU standout was forced to leave the game with an apparent knee injury just minutes before halftime.

"[Larson] is truly amazing," Totman said. "She totally handled [Hendershot, BYU's] best player."

The loss of Hendershot was a big blow to BYU's offensive attack. Unable to push the ball deep into Crimson territory without her, the Cougars instead played a more conservative style, one which the tenacious Crimson midfield exploited throughout the last half of the game.

Adding to the cold and wet weather was a torn up field that limited the options for both teams.

"The field was a mess," Larson said. "We basically had to stay out of the midfield. There was so much standing water in the middle of the field, that we couldn't make any passes, so we just stayed on the outsides."