While the Harvard women's soccer team rejoiced at the Grille Sunday upon discovering its selection into the NCAA Tournament, the Brown women's soccer team tried to cope with its exclusion, miles away in Providence.

I don't know exactly what was going through the heads of the Brown players at the time, but based on my experience interviewing disappointed athletes, here is my best guess:

"We've been blatantly overlooked! Didn't we soundly thrash Harvard, 2-0, back in September?

"Did the league offices forget to fax the Ivy standings to the NCAA? Didn't they see third-place Brown (13-4, 5-2 Ivy), fourth-place Harvard (10-7, 4-3)?

"Harvard has brought new meaning to the phrase, 'backing into the tournament.' How often does a team qualify for NCAAs following five straight losses? Is this a first?

"Was the NCAA watching on Saturday? Didn't they see Harvard choke against Columbia, while we came back from a 2-0 deficit against Yale and won 3-2 in overtime? Which team has more heart?"

Sorry Brown, but the NCAA doesn't care one bit that you won more of your games down the stretch and that you beat Harvard head-to-head and in the Ivy standings. The NCAA has to be objective, cold, and insensitive--it can't take any dramatics into account.

Brown, you should have known. Your coach, after all, used to be head of the selection committee. Do you remember last year's Dartmouth team? Like the 2000 Harvard squad, that fifth-place Dartmouth (10-8-1, 3-3-1) team played an ambitious schedule following an Ivy championship season and paid the price in terms of wins and losses, yet still made the tourney.