By: Zach Hayes, News Staff
Riding on two goals from senior midfielder Ryan Burnham and the first career collegiate shutout for goalkeeper Oliver Blum, the men’s soccer team closed the Mayor’s Cup Sunday with a 3-0 victory over Hartwick, the Huskies’ first win of the 2010 season.
The Huskies loaded their non-conference schedule with demanding competition in hopes of challenging themselves prior to their Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener Sept. 25 at Virginia Commonwealth (VCU). Northeastern fell in three road games to kick off the campaign – a 2-1 defeat at Georgetown, a 5-0 loss to nationally-ranked Maryland and a 1-0 double overtime loss in the opener of the Mayor’s Cup against Syracuse– before notching a victory against Hartwick.
“I think everyone on the team has high expectations this year and the first couple of games were frustrating, so it’s nice to have the win under our belt,” junior attacker Mike Kennedy said.
Following an preseason with two goals and 1 assist, Kennedy spearheaded the Huskies’ offensive push early in the season, leading the team with seven shots on goal. Kennedy stayed hot against Hartwick, and his direct kick found the back of the net for his first goal of 2010.
The other two goals for the Huskies were scored by junior midfielder Ryan Burnham, the first in the 26th minute on assists from junior forward Josh Semerene and freshman midfielder Nikko Lara. Burnham’s second score came in the 85th minute on a kick from 25 yards out.
Replacing departed senior Scott Partridge in net may be a difficult challenge for head coach Brian Ainscough and the Huskies, as the goalkeeper allowed just 10 goals in 15 games last season, and posted a 9-4-1 record. It appears Ainscough has settled on Blum, a sophomore transfer from Providence College, as his primary goalkeeper. Blum played in all four of Northeastern’s non-conference contests and his eight saves in the shutout effort helped pace the Huskies against Hartwick Sunday.
“He’s been solid,” Ainscough said, regarding his sophomore goalkeeper. “It’s his first time playing here. He just needs to gain more experience and just needs to get better as the season progresses.”
Perhaps the most frustrating loss of the season thus far was last Friday’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Syracuse. Despite outshooting the Orange 17-3 in the contest Northeastern failed to score. Numerous Huskies scoring chances turned into missed opportunities, and midfielder Nick Roydhouse’s unassisted shot sealed the Syracuse victory in the 95th minute.
“You look at the [Syracuse] game, it was unbelievable we didn’t come away with the win,” Ainscough said. “We had some great chances to finish.”
Kennedy agreed with Ainscough and felt the Huskies should have come out with the win.
“We dominated every minute of the game,” Kennedy said. “They got one chance the entire game and in overtime and happened to score.”
One bright spot for the Huskies were the efforts of the three star Husky defenders; seniors Brendan Ennis, Matt Sanford and Santiago Bedoya. The trio of team captains thwarted any potential Syracuse scoring opportunities, not allowing an opposing shot on goal until the deciding score. Ennis and Sanford carried that dependable play into Sunday against Hartwick, garnering All-Tournament team honors for their Mayor’s Cup performance.
“I have a ton of trust in them,” Kennedy said. “They are so tough each game. I’m glad they are on my side and I’m not attacking against them. They’ve been great all year and are our leaders.”
Despite the 1-3 record, Northeastern has out-shot their competition on the season overall 52-48. Freshman forward Ricardo McDonald notched his first collegiate goal against Georgetown and Blum has held opponents to under two goals per game in net.
“I think we know we have a really good group,” Kennedy said. “We have to be more clinical in our finishing because we have created the chances, but it’s a focused and determined group and hopefully we will keep the wins coming.”
Senior defender Matt Sanford said he is looking forward to the rest of the season, and feels like the team is ready to fight through the thick of their schedule.
“I think that these past two trips have really brought us together as a team,” he said. “We connected well and fought for each other. We faced some of the hardest competition we will see all year last weekend and feel that we are fully prepared for the CAA season.”
Northeastern’s final non-conference road game will be tomorrow at 7 p.m. against Fairfield. The Huskies then return to Parsons Field for a clash with Providence Sept. 21 as a final tune-up before CAA play begins at VCU Sept. 25.
