Harvard Coach Jim Floerchinger applauded his team's effort despite the loss.

"Coach told us that we could have packed it in at the half against Princeton," Munoz said. "But we didn't, and that was good. We didn't have much confidence at the start, but we came back."

The schedule does not get any easier for the Crimson from here. This weekend, Harvard will host the New England Championships at Blodgett Pool. The week after that, the Crimson will return to New Jersey for the College Water Polo Association Eastern Championships at Princeton.

To qualify for the National Championships in Indiana, Harvard must finish in the top three in Easterns. Last year, the Crimson barely missed a berth by finishing fourth behind Maryland, UMass, and Ivy League rival Princeton.

Villanova, UMass and Princeton should be the greatest obstacles separating the Crimson from a trip to the Hoosier State. They are the only teams in the Eastern Division ranked higher than Harvard.

Despite a 1-2 record against the three Eastern powers this weekend, Munoz likes Harvard's chances.

"I'm excited," she said. "We didn't fold against UMass, and we shut Princeton out in the second half. This weekend showed that we can come together as a team."