"Two years on turf and we've closed the gap with the teams we regularly play," Caples said. "There is no reason to think we can't eventually be a final four team. We'll need strong recruiting and we'll need to step it up a notch every year. There are all sorts of possibilities."

The younger players on the team have now tasted the success of NCAA glory and will no doubt be eager for more.

"Finding out we made the tournament--that was such a great feeling," Zacarian said. "It was such an adrenaline-rush, knowing that we were that good, and that we were finally being recognized for our accomplishments."

As for the seniors on the team--forward Kate Nagle and midfielders Maisa Badawy and Liz Sarles--their leadership in bringing Harvard to the NCAAs was the greatest of parting gifts for them to leave behind.

"It was great to see our seniors the last couple of weeks," Caples said. "They rose to the occasion and showed great leadership. This class will always be very special."

With four games remaining in the season, Harvard watched its Ivy title hopes all but disappear with a 2-0 loss at Princeton. Although the team's at-large NCAA hopes seemed distant at the time, the Crimson kept playing strong and finished 3-1, including solid wins over eventual ECAC finalists Dartmouth and Columbia.

"They could have easily folded up after the loss to Princeton, but they're all competitors, and every one on the team played an important role," Caples said.