Prior to Sunday night, the 2000 season had not been kind to the Harvard women's soccer team.

Before the year even started, injuries sidelined three members of the Crimson's standout sophomore class. Two of those players, forwards Beth Totman and Caitlin Butler, have remained out all season.

Then, over the course of the regular season, the Crimson (10-7, 4-3 Ivy)

was dealt a slew of tough-luck losses, including a string of five defeats to close out the season. After falling 2-1 in overtime on Saturday to Columbia, which had not won a league game previously, Harvard understandably believed that it had hit rock bottom.

Senior sweeper Brooke McCarthy said she even thought she had played the final home game of her college career, if not the final game altogether.

"I was pretty upset," she said.

But on Sunday night, all of a sudden, the Crimson's fortunes finally changed, as the NCAA selection committee awarded Harvard an at-large bid into the postseason tournament. For the first time in a while, the Crimson had cause for celebration.

This afternoon, Harvard will try to carry surge that emotion over into its opening round match against Quinnipiac at 1 p.m at Ohiri Field.