Harvard remains confident in its ability to perform without Stone at the helm.

Assistant coaches Melanie Ruzzi and Maura Crowell will lead the Crimson against Cornell tonight and Colgate tomorrow.

“It’s definitely going to be a different dynamic on the bench, but at the same time, Coach prepared us very well,” Buesser said. “The captains and senior leaders on the team know what’s expected…and strong leadership on team will fill in gap.”

One thing that Stone emphasized to her team was not getting caught up in rivalries or redemption games.

Instead, Harvard realizes it must take each match as its own challenge.

“Although we have Ivy rivalries, there’s such a competitive edge with every team this year,” Buesser said. “There’s no one game that we consider to be bigger than another in our schedule.”

“There’s no doubt that the returning players remember the way our season ended, but that’s a feeling we used as motivation throughout the offseason,” Bellamy added. “Now it’s all about this year’s team and giving our best effort no matter who the opponent is.”

So despite the history—both last season’s and throughout the years—the Crimson will face tonight’s match as it would any other: as a team ready to win.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Buesser said. “But we just have to play our game.”

—Staff writer B. Marjorie Gullick can be reached at gullick@college.harvard.edu.