"I thought that losing on Saturday would have made [earning a bid] very difficult," Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton said. "But if you look at who we played, we had one of the toughest strength of schedules."

"I think we are definitely one of the top 48 teams in the country," he said.

Even more pleasantly surprising for the Crimson than its inclusion in the tournament was the fact that it was given home field for the opening round.

"I couldn't even believe that." Corkery said. "I would have thought that we'd be away if anything. But I think we've proven over the years that we are capable of beating the top teams. We've just had a few bumps this year. A lot of things didn't go our way and we were very unlucky."

The selection, however, could very well signify that the Crimson's luck is about to change, and a reversal of fortune could not come soon enough. Against Columbia on Saturday, as has been the case in so many of the team's defeats this year, a couple unlucky bounces was all that separated the Crimson from victory.

On each of two outstanding scoring chances in the first half, Harvard saw shots that would have given it a lead bang off the post. Given an extra life after those missed chances, the Lions managed to push the contest into an extra session, during which Columbia midfielder Lauren Papalia notched the game-winning goal.

The victory was Columbia's first-ever over Harvard, as well as the Lions' only Ivy win this season.