NOTRE DAME, Ind.--It simply was not meant to be.

Make no mistake--overtaking the No. 1 team in the land was never going to be easy. But had the Harvard women's soccer team come up against top-ranked Notre Dame one week ago, it may have met a more joyous fate than the 2-0 loss it suffered at a frigid and snowy Alumni Field here on Friday night.

In its second-round match the previous weekend, the Irish (22-0-1)--slightly rusty after receiving an opening-round bye--stumbled out of the gate against No. 25 Michigan. Notre Dame fell behind 1-0 in the first half and required a late-game surge to rally for the win.

But as the Crimson discovered this weekend, Notre Dame's first tournament game served more as a wake-up call for the Irish than a performance set for an encore.

Against Harvard, Notre Dame showed exactly why it was awarded the top seed in the tournament, controlling possession throughout much of the contest and doubling the Crimson's totals in both shots and corner kicks.

Harvard battled against a ferocious and persistent Irish attack and prevented any goals during the course of live action. But Notre Dame was able to break through on a pair of set plays, furnishing all the offense the Irish would need to advance to the quarterfinals and eliminate the Crimson.

"They're the best team we played this year," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said. "We've been saying all year long that we can play with anybody, and I think we proved that today."

Notre Dame's first strike came in the 31st minute when a corner kick by forward Meotis Erickson was headed into the right corner of the Harvard net by unmarked midfielder Anne Makinen. As Erickson's cross passed in front of the goal, the Harvard defender positioned in front of Makinen mistimed her leap, leaving the Irish's leading scorer--and the leading candidate for Player of the Year--open for the redirect.