W. Booters Gain ECAC Tourney Bid

For the Harvard women's soccer team, it could have been a satisfying finish to a good season.

After a disappointing start, Harvard rebounded to a 9-4-1 finish--its highest win total since 1984--including a 3-1 upset victory in its season finale against Dartmouth. The Crimson went 5-1-1 in Ivy play and finished third in the Ivy League.

But when it came to hopes of a berth in the regional championships, Harvard's returners were already looking to next year.

Enter the ECAC's.

In a somewhat improbable move, the ECAC extended the Crimson an invitation to compete in its postseason tournament.

Not only was the Crimson invited, but it was seeded second out of the six participating teams.

Is this heaven?

No, it's a long, weary road trip to tournament host top-seeded Cornell. But that's not the point.

It's postseason play, something Harvard hasn't seen since 1984.

"This is the gravy," Coach Tim Wheaton said. "This is the reward for having a great season. This is it."

"I'm ecstatic," Co-Captain Amy Weinstein said. "It's such a great opportunity for us."

New Hampshire, Rutgers, Mon-mouth and James Madison occupy the third through sixth spots in the tourney.

Not only is Harvard thrilled to be attending the tournament, but it has aspirations of winning the whole thing.

"I think our chances of winning are excellent," Assistant Coach Stacy Flionis said.

Coach Wheaton issued his standard disclaimer, but he sounded positive about his team's chances.

"It depends on how we play. If we play well, we can beat anybody. If we don't, it's a different story. But I think the kids are looking forward to the contest," he said.

All in all, the ECAC tournament championship is an entirely realistic, if not an expected goal for this strong Harvard team.

Second-Seed

The only team ranked higher than the Crimson is Cornell, which won the Ivy League this year. Earlier this season, Cornell defeated Harvard, 2-1, which is the basis for the Big Red's top seeding.

But, on that fateful day in Ithaca, the Crimson played some of its worst soccer all season, yet almost held off the Big Red.

It took a Big Red penalty kick late in the second half to dispose of the Crimson.

"We have the potential to beat them," Weinstein said. "I'd love to play them again."

Because of its high seeding, Harvard will receive a first-round bye. Its first match will come in the second round when it will face the victor of the New Hampshire-James Madison matchup. New Hampshire is seeded third overall.

In its second game of the season, the Crimson and the Wildcats tied, 2-2. But both teams have come a long way since then, and hopefully for Harvard, the Crimson has come further.

"UNH is a good, strong team," Wheaton said. "They haven't won any big games, but they haven't lost any big games, either. It should be a good matchup."

If the Crimson can win its second-round game, it will face the champion of the other bracket: either Cornell, fourth-seeded Rutgers or fifth-seeded Monmouth.

Selection Process

The teams were selected by an ECAC panel chaired by Mary Anne Dowling, the women's athletic director at Villanova. Also on the panel were Kathy McNally of LaSalle, Sally Guerette of Vermont, and Brown coach Phil Pincince.

Pincince's presence on the panel worried several members of the Harvard squad, who remembered the Crimson's horrible 3-0 debacle against the Bears.

"We played pretty badly against Brown, and I thought [Pincince] was going to advise against including us," Weinstein said.

But Dowling said Harvard's place in the ECAC tournament was secure from the start.

"Three things stood out about Harvard," she said. "Their over-whelming winning record, their victory over a top 10 team [Massachusetts, a 1-0 win], and the over-all strength of their schedule, which included two top 10 teams [Massachusetts and Connecticut]."

Seeding Harvard second was also an easy choice, according to Dowling.

"We obviously couldn't seed Harvard first, because they lost to Cornell," she continued. "But we felt Harvard was much better than UNH, because UNH's schedule was not that strong and included no wins over top 10 teams."

The regional ECAC tournament is held simultaneously with the nationwide NCAA tounament. While the top three New England teams are tapped to compete in the more prestigious NCAA tournament, the ECAC provides post-season play for other strong teams which did not qualify for the NCAA's. This year, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Hartford will play in the NCAA tournament.

The ECAC tournament berth represents an important step forward for the women's soccer program at Harvard, according to Weinstein.

"You have to establish yourself before you can challenge nationally, and I think we have established ourselves now," she said.

"The team next year can think about national possibilities, and shoot for more than just the ECAC's.

"This was a tremendous step for us," Weinstein said.