“I was a little bit disappointed about the attendance at our UNH game,” Stone says. “I really thought we would have much better turnout. It’s certainly not the environment we’re looking to create for our athletes, so we’re looking for ways to improve upon that.”

Through the first seven games of the past four seasons, game attendance ranged from peaks of 375-612 fans. This year shows a significant drop in support, with an average of just 185 spectators at each game.

“People I convince to come to our games after they’ve put it off and off finally come, and they’re hooked,” says co-captain Lauren McAuliffe. “They say ‘I can’t believe I didn’t come to this before.’”

Of course, the trick is to get those fans to come in the first place.

Flash forward to Jan. 3, when the same UNH squad, now No. 8 in the nation, was handed its seventh loss of the season by No. 3 Dartmouth. That night, a whopping 1,207 Big Green faithful packed into Thompson Arena in Hanover.

Though the game also offered the attraction of an interstate rivalry, the attendance still surprised Dartmouth.

“Usually, our games don’t compete with other events, so that helps,” Kudak says. “But that night there was a men’s basketball game, so I was a bit surprised with the turnout.”

If You Build It, They Will Come

The question seems to be not only why hasn’t Harvard been able to attract as large a fan base as Dartmouth, but also why fans—students in particular—have turned out in fewer numbers this season than in the last four years.

“I feel like when you have a good team, you’re taken for granted,” Ruggiero says. “I remember my freshman year. When we first started, attendance was really low, but then we packed the place.

“Back then we were new, exciting, and winning, so we were an attraction,” she adds. “We’ve been winning ever since.”

But the attraction seems to have worn off on Harvard students, if only temporarily. Few worry that Bright Arena will become the “Thompson South” for Dartmouth fans, as many claim it has become the “Lynah East” for Cornell faithful in men’s hockey.

“I think it’s just a fluky year,” Stone says. “One of the great things is we have the band coming to just about every one of our games now, That’s been a real jolt for our enthusiasm and energy in the building.”

The loyalty of the Harvard band has not gone unnoticed by the players, either.

“We love it when the band comes—they’re rowdy,” Ruggiero adds. “In fact, I’d say the band has been our biggest supporter all year.”