All of this means that the Crimson is still very much in contention for its second consecutive Ivy League title. Harvard has several important league games still to play, including a face-off with the first-place Tigers in October.

But before it returns to Ivy action, the Crimson will first travel out west this weekend to play a pair of games in California. Harvard will play Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles tonight before moving south to face San Diego State on Sunday afternoon.

Harvard, currently ranked No. 5 in the Northeast, will be facing both teams for the first time.

Against LMU (6-2-1), the Crimson will be looking to score early to erase any lingering memories of being whitewashed last week by Brown. Sophomore forward Joey Yenne leads the team in scoring with four goals. Midfielders Orly Ripmaster, Katie Westfall, and Meredith Stewart have also displayed a nose for the net in previous games and should figure into the offensive game plan tonight.

On the other side of the ball, a solid defensive effort by Harvard would go a long way towards bolstering the confidence of sophomore goalkeeper Cheryl Gunther. A stellar performer throughout all of last year, Gunther has been hampered by a knee injury this season and is coming off her first regular season loss as a college player against Brown.

The Crimson might be able to catch the Lions distracted tonight, as LMU might already be looking ahead to its game against No. 5 UCLA on Sunday that is of more consequence to the Lions regionally.

However, LMU has traditionally made it difficult for visiting teams. Since 1997, the Lions have posted an impressive 22-7-4 home record.