No one ever said it would be easy for the No. 16 Harvard women's soccer team to duplicate the success of the 1999 season. For all the optimism stirred by last year's Ivy League title and high watermark of a No. 7 ranking in the national polls, the 2000 Crimson is still a team that lost five seniors, all of them starters, to graduation.

But not even the gloomiest of forecasts could have predicted as ill-fated a start to the season as Harvard has had. By the time of the team's season opener against No. 11 Texas A&M two weeks ago, injuries had already ravaged nearly half of the Crimson's talented sophomore class. Forwards Beth Totman and Caitlin Butler, as well as goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther, were all sidelined with various types of leg problems.

Of the three of them, Butler was dealt the sharpest blow; she is out for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. But losing Totman, last year's leading scorer, and Gunther, the 1999 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, for any prolonged length of time will be just as devastating.

Totman, who has stress fractures in both her legs, will not be back in time for Harvard's Ivy opener at Penn tomorrow. Gunther, who spent the last week undergoing rehab on her knee, is questionable. After finishing 7-1 and placing second in the Ivy standings a year ago, the Quakers (2-1) will be out to avenge last year's 2-1 overtime loss to Harvard that denied them a league crown.

Penn is also riding a nine-game winning streak at its home field that dates back to last season.

A team with less depth than Harvard (1-1) might be worried at the prospect of kicking off its conference schedule minus three of its key contributors. Fortunately for the Crimson, though, when Coach Tim Wheaton goes out shopping for recruits in the off-season, talent is one item he likes to order in bulk.

Just like he did last year, Wheaton has brought in a promising class of freshmen that has been able to step in and make an impact right away. By combining those rookies with the returning members from last year's darling of the Ivy League, Wheaton believes he has achieved the perfect blend of youth and experience, not to mention a roster that boasts talent all the way down.

"We've said all year long that we have a very even group of players," Wheaton said. "The difference in ability from top to bottom is not far at all. We have confidence in everybody on the field."

If the Crimson is to continue its winning ways from last year when it posted an astounding overall record of 14-2-1, it will have to reestablish the stifling defense that has become the trademark of the program. Last year, the Harvard backfield, led mainly by Jessica Larson '00 and Gina Foster '00 and then-junior Lauren Corkery, beat down its opponents with tireless defense, limiting them to just nine goals all year, and only three in Ivy play.

While Larson and Foster are no longer with the team, Corkery, who will serve this year as one of the Crimson's co-captains, is back to anchor the defense. A gritty performer with a remarkable penchant for playing hurt, Corkery has not missed a single game since she arrived at Harvard in 1997. She will be joined in the backfield by the other co-captain, senior Brooke McCarthy, who takes over Larson's job at sweeper after battling all the way back from an ACL tear that kept her out of action in 1999.

Helping shore up the backfield will be sophomore Katie Urbanic, who started five games for the Crimson last year, as well as newcomers Lauren Cozzolino and Kathleen Ferguson. Both freshmen have seen significant playing time in each of the Crimson's two games so far. Ferguson actually scored the first goal of her collegiate career against Vermont last Friday.

With Gunther out for the time being, the defensive play in front of the net will take on added importance. Junior Robyn Scatena and freshman Mollie Durkin, who have started just three games between them, will likely continue to split the goaltending duties for however long Gunther remains injured.

The midfield is the area left most depleted by the graduation of last year's seniors, as former starters Julie Blain '00, Ashley Berman '00 and Beth Zotter '00--who moved to midfield from the forward position midway through last year--are all gone. While their presence will be missed, senior Meredith Stewart and sophomore Bryce Weed, a First Team All-Ivy pick in 1999, have reassumed their starting roles. Joining them will be sophomore Orly Ripmaster, whose quickness and raw athleticism have earned her a starting job as an outside midfielder. After scoring three goals a year ago, Ripmaster seeks to become even more involved on offense this season.

"Having a year under my belt has helped me substantially because I am not making freshman mistakes and I know where I stand on the team," Ripmaster said. "I hope to contribute more this year than last to the team and I attribute that simply to experience."

Rookies Katie Westfall and Caitlin Fisher are also likely to receive plenty of playing time at midfield. Both have already started a game for the Crimson this season, and Westfall actually is tied for the team lead in scoring after notching a goal and two assists against Vermont on Friday.