"It was nice to see the freshmen get into the game and contribute," Harper said. "They totally energized the team."

The Minutewomen answered Brooks' go-ahead tally with two goals from Lydia Robinson at 18:11 and from Angela McMahon at 19:44. With UMass on top 8-7, both teams struggled for the next few minutes to put the game away.

But in the 57th minute, Harper took control of the game. After scoring her third goal on a free possession to tie the score at 8-8, the senior attacker found junior Lizzie Frisbie for the game-winner at 26:40.

Crimson goalie Guyer ended the afternoon with three saves, while her counterpart, Doyle, had ten saves in the losing effort.

Harvard fielded an older and seemingly more disciplined and wiser team to open its 2001 season. After graduating two seniors last year, this year's Crimson squad boasts seven. In addition, most of the other key position players have at least one year of playing experience under their belts.

"A big factor is the presence of upperclassmen," Harper said. "In the past, we've always been a young team, and now most of our starters are either juniors or seniors."

Despite the overwhelming number of upperclassmen and relatively few freshmen, Harper reports that the unity and cohesion of the team is one of its strengths.