Rachael Lau never wavered on her goal of playing in the NCAA tournament.

PROFILE         Rachael Lau                 » College: Harvard         » Class: Senior         » Position: Midfielder         » High school: Punahou '05

The former Punahou standout came to Harvard a year after the Crimson made an appearance in the women's soccer version of the Big Dance, going one-and-done after losing to Connecticut 2-0.

Sixty-six games and 59 starts later, Lau will finally get her shot at playing on the NCAA's biggest stage tonight when the Crimson take on Northeastern in the opening round of the 64-team tournament at Boston College's Newton Soccer Field.

“;I'm hoping this game won't be the end of my career,”; Lau said. “;Definitely it's big time—everyone says playing in the NCAA tournament is like nothing you've experienced ever before.”;

Lau, a four-year starter and decorated member of the Crimson, went her first three years without getting Harvard back to soccer's main stage.

The Crimson had a losing record in Ivy League play all three seasons, including a 3-13-1 overall mark in 2006 that forced the team to start over from scratch.

Entering her senior season, Lau had one shot left at leading her team to the promised land, and it looked bleak after a 3-3-3 start and a 2-0 loss to Penn in their Ivy League opener.

But then Lau, who had been hampered by an ankle injury and had been coming off the bench for the first time in her career, started the next four games.

Harvard won all four and began a 7-0-1 run to end the season and win its first Ivy League title in nine years.

“;How we phrased it as the games rolled on and we were getting momentum is that we were on a mission,”; Lau said. “;We felt like we were going to do it and nobody was standing in our away. Confidence, but not arrogance.”;

Lau's confidence never changed despite facing decreased playing time for the first time in her career. She had started 49 of her first 50 games before being limited to only 10 starts this season.

Not the way she expected her senior year to go, but knowing the importance of getting one shot at making the NCAA tournament, Lau knew she had to do everything she could to find ways to contribute to her team.

“;It's definitely something that I would like to have played, but you sit there and you remind yourself that you can contribute in other ways than playing,”; Lau said.

“;I guess my role changed in some ways and I thought I could take on more of a mentoring and leadership role. Everything plays a role in the success of the team, and you've got to think of ways you can help your team.”;

Soccer has been an influential part of Lau's life in college, but only skims the wide range of experiences she's had her last four years.

Part of the reason Lau never felt homesick leaving Hawaii for the East Coast is her thirst for travel.

She didn't take long to dive in, visiting Taiwan her freshman year and then studying abroad in China after soccer season was finished a year later.

“;A lot of people say that the Great Wall is one of the greatest things that when you see it it's breathtaking and it really is. You climb up a wall and you stand there and I felt like I traveled back in time. It's kind of an eerie feeling being in a place that has so much history.”;

Lau will graduate in the spring in biology, and although she was wrapped up in finishing her soccer career strong, she has started to think about what lies ahead.

From medical school to taking a year off to even coaching girls soccer in the area, she hasn't made up her mind, but has plenty of options to choose from.

“;It's something that's on every single senior's mind—what's life after college,”; she said. “;I'm still grappling with (medical school) and just trying to find out the path that I want to go on.”;

The only path Lau knows she wants to be on now is the one that takes Harvard from Massachusetts to Cary, N.C., site of the Women's College Cup on Dec. 5 and 7.