After coming out with visible intensity against UConn three days before, the Eagles failed to make any significant advance across the midfield stripe versus Harvard.

Some fine saves by B.C. goalie Elyse Meredith—including a sprawling stop of Costello at point-blank range—was all that prevented Harvard from breaking the game wide open.

“The biggest thing for us was our defense, and not just our defenders, but our team defense,” Wheaton said. “We were able to applypressure all over the field and it made a big difference for us.”

Despite going relatively untested in the first half, Gunther responded well when B.C. made a charge late in the game. Gunther—who received Ivy Player of the Week honors last week—now has five shutouts in seven games. After playing through injuries last year, she appears to have regained her form from 1999, when she had the third-best goals-against average in the nation.

“She’s one of the best goalies I’ve seen,” Wheaton said. “She stays in there and makes the big plays. We’re just so proud of her.”

All season long, Gunther has praised the defense in front of her, calling it one of the best she’s played alongside. The Crimson backs did not disappoint yesterday.

Freshman Liza Barber snuffed out several scoring opportunities singlehandedly, intercepting B.C. passes through the box and outleaping Eagles players for headers.

Despite being one of Harvard’s youngest players, Barber has been a steadying influence in the back over the course of the past six games.

“She’s one of the better players I’ve seen, period,” Wheaton said. “She’s on the very, very short list of the best defenders we’ve ever had. I don’t think there’s any limit to what she can accomplish.”

Barber was not alone in frustrating the Eagles’ offense. When B.C.’s Katherine Halloran made a breakaway bid with 17 minutes left to play,.sophomore Lauren Cozzolino made a crucial slide-tackle stop to end the threat.

“As young as they are, they’ve jelled,” Costello said of the Harvard backs. “They’ve come together great. It’s because of them that we’re winning games.”

Harvard next sees action Saturday when it travels to Cornell. The Crimson has not lost to the Big Red since 1993.