By Conor Nevins
As one season ends, another begins. And so the story goes for the Northeastern women’s soccer team.
When America East Conference play begins next week at the University of Vermont, NU gets a chance to wipe the slate clean and focus on advancing to their third straight AE Conference tournament.
First they had to finish their non-conference schedule, and this portion of the season did not end as well as the Huskies had hoped. A cross-town matchup against the Boston College Eagles saw NU drop a 1-0 decision in a game that belonged to the BC from the opening whistle.
BC pounced on the Huskies early in the game, outshooting them 10-0. Junior goalkeeper Mariel Wilner was impressive again in the net for NU, making nine saves in the first half, but the Eagles would get the only goal they would need 25 minutes in from freshman Kia McNeill.
NU coach Ed Matz said he felt his team let the game get away from them too early in the first half.
“We gave them too much respect in the first half and I wasn’t happy with the way we played. I challenged them in the second half to be more aggressive and they responded well, but it was too late,” Matz said.
The Huskies challenged the Eagles in the second half but were unsuccessful as they dropped their second game of the year.
The final non-schedule game of the season was even more bitter for the Huskies when the Rider College Broncos came to Parsons Field and stole a 2-1 overtime victory. Another sluggish start saw NU down 1-0 just nine minutes into the game as Rider forward Tami Coyle put the Broncos up. It would take until nine minutes left in the game for the Huskies to equalize as their captain, senior forward Liz Dyjak, fired a shot off a cross from sophomore Kristin Kowalik into the top left corner of the net.
The Huskies began to win back control of the game in the closing minutes but were unable to take advantage of opportunities and a free kick from Shana Herman five minutes into overtime sealed the win for the Broncos, sending the Huskies to their second straight loss.
“We lost that game ourselves,” said junior defender Jackie Spellman. “We gave them one opportunity and it won the game for them.”
There’s no panic from Matz’s team though, as they prepare to embark on a grueling America East schedule. They understand they have a long stretch of difficult games ahead if they want to return to the America East Conference Championships.
“There’s a bit more urgency in the games during conference play,” Matz said.
With a week off before the Huskies kick off AE play against Vermont, Matz hopes to continue trying to shake off the injury bug which continues to plague the team’s progress. Senior captain and defensive leader Andi Matthews is still injured while new injuries to junior forwards Jess Pfeifer and Tara McLarney keep NU’s line-up incomplete.
“It seems like it’s been a never-ending season with injuries adding up and it’s been hindering our progress,” Matz said. “We hope to be healthy and get everyone back by next week.”
Although the Huskies dropped their last two games, they’ve still enjoyed a successful first half of the season and are poised to make a serious run in the AE.
“Every game gets more personal as we’re fighting to make the playoffs,” Spellman said. “Each game counts a little more.”
