It was not a very good week for Northeastern men and women’s soccer coach Ed Matz, as both his teams not only suffered their first America East losses of the season but also were held scoreless.
The men (2-6-4, 1-1-3 AE) were blanked 1-0 by the University of New Hampshire last Tuesday in Durham while the women (9-4-2, 3-1-1 AE) were shutout by cross-town rival Boston University 2-0 at Nickerson field on Sunday.
Despite another strong performance by junior keeper Sergio Saccoccio, the men could not find the net against the first place Wildcats, an ailment that has plagued the Huskies all season long.
“They play physical and in the air, two things we don’t do that well,” Matz said. “The defense played well enough to win and [Saccoccio] was outstanding again but we couldn’t get the offense moving.”
The Dogs spent most of the game on their heels defending the UNH offensive attack. With their backs against the wall, the Huskies could only muster one shot on net while allowing five.
“UNH is difficult to play at their place,” Matz said. “That seems to be the trend this year in the America East. With teams winning at home and losing on the road.”
Saccoccio made four saves in the loss but could not come up with the save when the Wildcats’ Tyler Jackson put in his own free-kick rebound for the game winner.
The win catapulted UNH into first place in the conference, as they remain undefeated in AE play.
The defending America East champion Boston University Terriers dominated the women Huskies on Sunday, outshooting Northeastern 14-4 on their way to a convincing 2-0 win.
Senior keeper Mariel Wilner made five saves but was bombarded by too many shots to keep her team in the game. “BU played much better than us,” Matz said. “This was a game that they absolutely needed to win.”
Although on paper it looks like the Huskies were dominated by BU, the loss did not show the true Northeastern team, said Matz.
“We’re disappointed in the way we played, but [BU] didn’t see the real Northeastern team,” Matz said. “We have one conference loss and everyone else has two. We’re still in the driver’s seat.”
The men are back in action this Wednesday when they play host to bitter rival Boston University at 3 p.m. The women host Stony Brook University on Friday at 6 p.m.
