If Harvard's women's soccer team found getting into the NCAA Tournament the hardest part, it must not have imagined playing top-seeded and undefeated Notre Dame.

The Crimson (12-7, 4-3 Ivy) travels to Alumni Field in South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish (21-0-1) tonight at 7p.m.

Harvard snuck into the tournament despite five straight losses to end the season. The Crimson has made the most of its opportunity, however, beating Quinnipiac 2-1 in the first round, and upsetting #13 Hartford 3-0 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Fighting Irish are going to try to interrupt the Crimson's Cinderella run. Notre Dame presents the best team Harvard has faced in some time, as they have dominated their Big East conference and rolled through non-conference games with intimidating ease.

Winning their sixth straight Big East championship, the centrally located South Bend squad surged to the No. 1 spot in the country in mid-September and have not looked back.

"We've been happy with our play," Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said. "We just hope we can continue to play strong when it matters."

The Fighting Irish have shown the ability to make clutch performances unnecessary this year, outscoring opponents 71-7 on the season.

Their performance in the tournament thus far has indicated that Notre Dame's perfect regular season has prepared the team for a championship run. Easily dismissing Michigan 3-0 after a first-round bye, the Irish will try to improve upon their 21-6-1 all-time tournament record against the Crimson.