By: Zach Hayes, News Staff
The men’s soccer team’s 1-0 double overtime loss to Old Dominion University (ODU) last Saturday summed up its entire season as the Huskies topped their opponent in shots on goal, but came up short after ODU forward Daniel Lidster scored in the 105th minute.
The Huskies dropped to 3-4-3 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play and 5-8-3 on the season, and their playoff hopes are in jeopardy. The team sits in 10th place out of 12 in the conference with one game left. Only the top-four teams make it to the CAA Tournament.
“It’s very frustrating for the players,” head coach Brian Ainscough said. “We’ve had momentum but never got the fruits of it. We look back and take the responsibility. You should be able to win some of these games by the law of averages. We’re a talented team and we feel frustrated.”
Most of the game was played in the middle of the field, highlighted by a 26-minute period midway through the second half that didn’t produce one shot on goal. The Huskies’ three captain defenders Matt Sanford, Brendan Ennis and Santiago Bedoya once again thwarted pressure by ODU, protecting sophomore goalkeeper Oliver Blum. Blum finished the contest with five saves.
“Words can’t really describe how much they have been leaders,” junior attacking midfielder Mike Kennedy said. “They’re the main reason our defense has been so amazing since the time they got here as freshmen. All of them are great leaders and players.”
The Huskies had a handful of chances to sneak the game-winning score past Monarchs goalkeeper Evan Newton. Sophomore forward Don Anding put three shots on net in regulation after scoring two goals in his last game, but Newton thwarted his attempts. Kennedy’s final shot in regulation sailed high over the net, sending the contest into overtime.
Northeastern earned two corner kicks early in the extra frame and freshman midfielder Laurence Braude delivered a shot on goal in the 95th minute, but Newton and the Monarchs defense were up to the task on all three occasions. A team effort also prevented Anding from notching a game-winning goal in the second overtime.
Forty seconds after another missed opportunity on a Northeastern corner kick, Lidster received a pass from teammate defender Thomas Webb and delivered the game-winning goal past Blum, whose record falls to 5-7-3 in his first season with Huskies after transferring from Providence. With the victory, the Monarchs move to 4-4-2 in CAA play, enhance their playoff hopes and render the Huskies chances of earning a spot in the conference semifinals a near impossibility.
“The kids played a fabulous game,” Ainscough said. “The Old Dominion goaltender had an unbelievably stellar night. There were chances we should have scored on but he’s probably the best keeper in the league. The kids did everything to win the game, but just came up short.”
Kennedy said he sees it as another missed opportunity to put the team in position to reach the four-team conference playoffs, but finishing the regular season off on a strong note against William & Mary and staying alive for a playoff berth is now the main priority.
“[Newton] made some good saves,” Kennedy said. “We definitely had our chances to put them away, though. It’s upsetting knowing we could have and probably should have won that game. But we are just focused on the William & Mary game.”
The final regular season contest is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Parsons Field, a senior night CAA contest against William & Mary.
