"I was pretty nervous, but it was really quite an honor," Gunther said.

Browning decided to leave the soccer team in order to concentrate on crew, where she captains the NCAA-qualifying first heavyweight boat. Her departure left a huge gap in the Harvard defense, which shone last year, allowing just five goals in eight Ivy League contests.

Browning's .814 save percentage and 0.99 goals-against average were important parts of the Crimson's success last year.

"Anne was obviously a special player and a big part of this team, and we of course are going to miss her," Wheaton said.

"We're going to miss Anne because she was just an awesome player, but we have really strong goalies in both Cheryl and [sophomore Robyn Scatena]," said co-captain Jessie Larson.

In addition to the sparkling debuts made by Weed, Totman and Gunther last weekend, freshman forward Joey Yenne began the Harvard onslaught with a goal during the Crimson's 7-1 victory over Alabama-Birmingham, and freshman defender Katie Urbanic played a large role in shutting down the UAB offense.

Wednesday's loss to UNH proved the importance of the freshmen on this year's team. With the freshmen unavailable because of mandatory placement tests and only thirteen players available, the Crimson fell 1-0 to the Wildcats. Despite a stellar effort by sophomore goalkeeper Scatena, who made her first collegiate start, the freshmen's absence proved that the future of the team rests on their shoulders.