By Conor Nevins

NEWTON – When Brian Ainscough took over as head coach of the Northeastern men’s soccer team, he knew he was inheriting a team with difficulty scoring goals that often found itself playing from behind.

The Huskies found themselves in a similar position Sunday afternoon, falling behind 2-0 midway through the second half against 23rd ranked Boston College in Newton.

NU (1-2-1) finally got a goal in the 84th minute from freshman defender Andrew Konoplesky, but the comeback came up short, as the Eagles (3-1-0) held on to win the game 2-1, handing Northeastern its second loss of the season.

“The commitment from the kids to work and do something was there,” Ainscough said. “I was pleased with that, but some stupid stuff, like dealing with corner kicks and throw-ins, set us back.”

One of those mistakes allowed the opening goal for BC in the 39th minute. Junior defender Sam Brill rose above a pair of Northeastern defenders off a throw-in to head in the game’s first goal.

NU almost tied it early in the second half when sophomore forward Greg Kilkenny’s powerful shot off a corner kick was pushed aside by the fingertips of BC goalie Issey Maholo.

BC scored in the 62d minute as Sherron Manswell tapped in a cross past Saccoccio and giving the Eagles a 2-0 advantage.

The Huskies rallied and continued to attack the BC defense. They almost got a goal back with 15 minutes to play as senior Jeff Gannon maneuvered down the left sideline, sending a cross inside to Kilkenny, but the header went wide of the post.

Konoplesky’s goal came off a set play that was sent deep into the BC goal area. After bouncing off a BC defender, Konoplesky pounced on the loose ball, sending it into the top corner and giving the Huskies a glimmer of hope to salvage a draw.

That hope was dashed, however, as NU’s final scoring chance involved a scramble between Kilkenny and senior midfielder Daryl Brack. A host of BC defenders cleared the ball off the goal-line, ending any comeback for the Huskies.

Saccoccio added to his impressive start in between the posts for Northeastern with three saves.

“It was a good building point for us,” Saccoccio said. “To be able to come back like that shows the character of this team, especially the young guys.”

Despite the loss, Ainscough feels his team is moving in the right direction.

“I think we gave BC as much as they could handle, especially in the second part of the game,” he said.

NU travels to Rhode Island tonight for a 7 p.m. start.