By Jason Richland
What a difference a week makes. Heading into play last Wednesday, the Northeastern field hockey team had a firm grip on the national field hockey scene with a 6-0 record and ranked eighth overall. But by Monday morning, the honeymoon was over, and the team dropped to eleventh in the national poll.
After falling to cross-town rival Boston College, 3-2, last Wednesday, the Huskies went 1-1 on a road swing through Michigan, falling to University of Michigan, 3-0 on Sunday and defeating Central Michigan on Saturday, 6-1. The Huskies dropped to 7-2.
“We didn’t have the leadership and we didn’t have the effort,” said NU head coach Cheryl Murtagh. “We didn’t have the defense.”
The Huskies were outshot for the first time this season by ninth-ranked Michigan, 18-11.
“[Michigan] was a tough matchup,” said senior Liane Dixon. “We had a well-planned game, but it didn’t fall our way.”
The Huskies have never beaten the Wolverines, owning an 0-7 all-time record against them.
“There was a lapse,” Dixon said. “We have to try and get the leadership back, we have to put this behind us.”
Twenty-one seconds into the match against Michigan, the Wolverine’s Jill Civic swooped in to score the first goal off a rebound from a Mary Fox shot.
“It started with poor defense,” Murtagh said. “We gave up soft goals.”
In the eighteenth minute the Wolverines scored again and took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
“It was a lack of support from the entire team,” said senior forward Mari Creatini. “It was everyone, from the freshmen, to the sophomores, to the juniors and I am just as responsible.”
Senior goalie Diana Nelson did all she could to keep the Huskies in the game, but she was overwhelmed, allowing a third goal in the second half. Nelson allowed only three goals, despite the 18-shot barrage.
“We need to put together the complete package,” Dixon said. “We need to try and be better on game day.”
Rebounding from the loss to BC at Sweeney Field, Northeastern scored six goals to top Central Michigan 6-1 Saturday afternoon. Creatini led the way for the Huskies scoring two goals and two assists.
The Chippewas were completely overmatched, being out-shot by the Huskies, 26-10. Dixon scored a goal and an assist, and sophomore forward Whitney Shean scored two goals in the rout.
The Huskies got on the board five minutes into the game on a goal by junior midfielder Jay Quinn. Heading into halftime Northeastern held a 3-1 lead thanks to goals by Creatini and Shean. In the second half the Huskies jumped on top of the Chippewas scoring three goals, one apiece for Dixon, Creatini and Shean.
Wednesday against BC, the Huskies suffered their first loss of the season to the twelfth-ranked Eagles.
“We should have been ready for this and we weren’t,” Murtagh said. “BC deserved to win and we didn’t.”
BC scored twice before the eleventh minute to jump out to a 2-0 lead, but in a two-minute stretch the Huskies found their groove and scored two goals, one each from Dixon and redshirt freshman forward/midfielder Michaela O’Malley. Only five minutes before the break the Eagles scored again and never looked back.
“We need to be able to pass better,” Murtagh said. “We tried to force the offense and we didn’t make it happen.”
In the second half, the teams tightened up on defense, each allowing only two shots on goal.
“We struggled with communication and fundamentals,” Creatini said. “We didn’t connect very well.”
The loss to BC is especially disappointing to the Huskies.
“Honestly, we’ve played better teams than BC,” Creatini said. “Penn State was better, but [against BC] something was missing.”
The Huskies will not play again until Sunday, when they open up the America East season against New Hampshire at Sweeney Field at 2 p.m.
“We are putting what has happened behind us,” Dixon said. “We are focusing now on the America East season.”
