But the Crimson, which leads the nation with just seven goals allowed this season, proved once again to be up the challenge.

Despite occasional displays of brilliance from Monroe, Harvard did not break, tallying its third consecutive shutout, its seventh of the year. Foster, in particular, came up big in stopping Monroe and the Huskies.

"[Monroe] is the best player we've seen all season," Wheaton said. "But Foster is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated players in the country, and she did a fantastic job on her today."

In addition to Foster's impressive work, the Crimson defensive unit pressured UConn whenever it touched the ball, forcing the Huskies to play more conservatively than they are accustomed to.

"Harvard pressures the ball well, and did so for most of the game," UConn Coach Len Tsantiris said. "As a result we got into the game of worrying about losing the ball instead of attacking."

Harvard established this trend from the outset as its aggressive defensive play led to sloppy ball-handling from the Huskies in the first half.

Although the Crimson seemed to outplay its counterparts in the early going, neither team was able to assert itself offensively.