Offensively, Harvard will need Yenne, senior Beth Totman and junior Katie Westfall to manufacture shots through a physical Tiger defense and continue to take advantage of their scoring opportunities. Yenne, in particular, has come up big with two goals against Princeton in her career.

Scoring chances have come few and far between for Princeton opponents this season, as the Tigers have given up just six goals all season. Junior goalkeeper Jean Poster has been tough to beat with a 0.51 goals-against average and a penalty-shot save to her credit this season.

There’s one intangible that Harvard has that Princeton clearly lacks—experience in big games this season. The Crimson played a grueling nonconference schedule with games against No. 10 Penn State, No. 5 Portland and a road game in front of a hostile crowd of 1,850 at then-No. 21 Washington.

Harvard coach Tim Wheaton has long said that the difficult schedule would be the perfect preparation for Ivy and regional play, but the team’s unusually disappointing results against Yale and Hartford this season have done nothing to support his claim.

But a victory over Princeton, whose nationally-recognized undefeated status has been aided largely by an unambitious nonconference schedule, would provide the perfect contrast.

—Staff writer David R. De Remer can be reached at remer@fas.harvard.edu.