That motivation will have to encourage all of the members of the self-financed team through a massive fund-raising effort during the team’s winter off-months. In between fitness sessions on the track or in the weight room, the rugby team will organize itself to pull together the capital to send the entire team to Gainesville, Fla. for the tournament, and hopefully beyond, to Palo Alto, Calif. for the Final Four.

“We’ll be doing every little thing we can do,” Sherman said. “There will be a huge fundraising push throughout the winter, including help from alumni.”

That alumni network, however, is not nearly as deep for the women’s team as it is for the men’s team, whose existence can be traced back over 100 years. To compensate, the players will throw themselves into a number of wage-earning chores, including shoveling snow. They have also received support from University President Lawrence H. Summers, who has lined up some financial backing for the team and attended a mid-season home game to cheer them on.

But the team is taking the fundraising burden in stride. They’ve planned a spring break trip to England to play teams there and take in the sights. And they said they’re just thankful for the chance to play a sport they love.

“There are a lot of ‘what ifs,’” Kleinschmidt said. “But we’re not disappointed. We’re thrilled about the chance to be in the playoffs.”