The remedy is to slot balls through the middle and change up the attack so as to keep defenders 'honest.' Harvard's third goal during its second-round 3-0 upset of Hartford, in which Joey Yenne tucked away a Meredith Stewart through-ball, was just such a diversification of attack.

Against a smothering Notre Dame squad, however, Harvard will not have as much time or freedom to attack through the middle and will likely look to attack up the flanks. While the Fighting Irish may very well dominate possession on Friday night, the Crimson will pose its own offensive threat in the form of counter-attacks up the wings.

Early, accurate service and opportunism will be more vital for the Crimson than any other facet of the game Friday night. Man U. has lived and died by such tactics and look how many venues it has dominated in the last five years alone--the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the World Club Championships.

So if a trip to Old Trafford is out of the question, a trip to Alumni Stadium on the campus of Notre Dame might be the perfect the solution. The Fighting Irish should control the pace of the game and possess the ball with tantalizing fluidity. But when the Crimson makes attacks of its own, they will bear an uncanny resemblance to the "Red Devils" who have torn up the English Premiership for decades.

And when 90 minutes are over on Friday, time of possession, consecutive passes, and pretty build-ups will mean nothing. All that will matter is which team scored more goals, and as both Harvard and Man U. have proven over the years, running the flanks and servicing the box might just be the best way to accomplish such a feat.