But while the two-goal lead would prove more than enough to give Notre Dame the win, the result of the game did not go uncontested. Though the Crimson attackers took a while to figure out a way around the Irish defense, once they did, they managed several good opportunities.

"I thought their outside backs played really well," freshman Katie Westfall said. "They made it hard, and we didn't adjust enough until, I'd say, the last 30 minutes."

Westfall, the Crimson's second-leading scorer on the season, was particularly persistent on offense, even as Harvard trailed by two. She recorded four of the nine shots the Crimson fired on net in the game.

"If you came at this game at the end and didn't have the scoreboard on, you wouldn't know it was 2-0," Wheaton said. "We wanted to score; we didn't come out here to lose. We felt we could win it, we felt we could give them a battle, and I think we did that today."

Notre Dame was able to endure the Harvard surge, however, as Irish goalkeeper Liz Wagner made the necessary stops to preserve the shutout, finishing with four saves.

Sophomore goaltender Cheryl Gunther saved six shots for Harvard.

"We created some chances at the end," Wheaton said. "I was proud of our kids. I thought they came out and played with a lot of heart. I think we need to finish a little better, but in terms of the intensity, the focus, and staying organized as a team, I thought they did a fantastic job today."