Mattison emerged from the scrum with her jersey torn, her body bruised, and--most importantly--her team in the lead.
"She's come up huge," Corkery said. "I am so proud of her."
Mattison's efforts appear all the more clutch when you consider that she had not tallied a strike all season before the tournament started. In fact, prior to last Wednesday, Mattison had scored just two career goals, a total she has now surpassed in the span of two games.
But if her recent success is in any way a product of her relatively low profile, Mattison will not be able to count on that advantage anymore. If there is any lesson to be learned from the Crimson's first two tournament games, it is that those teams who overlook Ashley Mattison do so at their own peril.
And no matter what happens when Harvard takes on No. 1 Notre Dame in the third round on Friday, Mattison can rest assured that she has already secured herself a prominent place in the storied annals of the Harvard women's soccer program.