"We had to bump up," Caples said. "You take chances. It doesn't matter if you lose 2-0 or 3-0. We had to go for the equalizer."

Once the Crimson lost possession, Princeton immediately took advantage of the depleted backfield. The Tigers broke downfield two-on-two, and forced Zacarian to kick the ball out of bounds.

On the restart, Princeton sophomore Ilvy Friebe made a spectacular play on a loose ball just inside the circle. With the ball seemingly just out of reach, she dove and swung her stick forcefully from ground-level. Still sprawled on the turf, she raised her stick in celebration as her shot beat Zacarian for the game-icing goal.

For the final 7:30, Princeton effectively ran out the clock.

The loss leaves Harvard with little hope of winning its first Ivy title since 1991. Although both teams still have two Ivy games left, Princeton has not lost to its two remaining Ivy opponents, Penn and Cornell, since 1993 and 1990, respectively.

Despite its bleak Ivy title hopes, Harvard still is very much alive for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson's No. 18 ranking in the NFHCA poll and No. 16 ranking the NCAA poll will likely rise this week due to its 2-0 win at No. 13 Boston College on Wednesday.

Although no Ivy team has ever been selected at-large to the NCAA Tournament, the expansion of the field from 12 to 16 teams last season has greatly increased the possibility.

Harvard will be in great position for an at-large bid if it can win out the remainder of its schedule, but any additional loss would place the Crimson precariously on the bubble.