Having trailed in just one game all season--f or a span of about 30 minutes--Harvard's undefeated freshmen found themselves in a fight for their lives, trailing by a goal in the most important game of their young careers.

Their frustration grew as the scoring didn't come, and as time wound down in the second half you could sense the panic and disbelief begin to set in. And as the clock reached :00, shock would be the only thing to describe the look of the team.

Sure, with its elimination from the tournament, Harvard missed a golden opportunity to face a University of Connecticut squad that it had defeated earlier in the season, with the possibility of travelling to California for the quarterfinals looming for the victor. But given the expectations for the team at the season's outset, the success that followed was hardly anticipated.

So let's focus on the many positives, not the one negative.

Harvard finished a perfect 7-0 in the Ivy League--a feat accomplished only twice before in Ivy history--to capture the league championship. Along the way, the Crimson finished the season 3-0-1 in contests against top- 25 teams en route to a No. 7 ranking in the nation.

And all of this came with four everyday freshman starters.

Harvard played its heart out all season long, leaving everything it had on the field before finally falling. With all of its accomplishments, the 1999 Harvard women's soccer team exceeded the expectations of even the biggest optimist, leaving a legacy that no disappointing end could ever tarnish.