By: Jill Saftel, News Staff
Head coach Tracey Leone and the women’s soccer team have high hopes for next year after a roller coaster season capped off by a 2-1 double-overtime loss, she said.
“We’re really excited about next year’s recruitment class and we’re thrilled about the promise of the future,” Leone said. “We’re going to miss the senior class a lot, though. They brought a lot to the table.”
The Huskies finished the season 4-6-1 in conference play and in seventh place of the 12 teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
In the last game of the season, the Huskies faced No. 21 Hofstra University, who finished 17-1 on the season (11-0 CAA) after winning 17 straight games.
Leone and senior co-captain Kristen Blake said the team was excited for the opportunity to play a team with the longest winning streak in the country.
“If you’re a competitor, you embrace the chance to play a team like that,” Leone said. “It’s an awesome way to end the season, to be able to see how you measure up.”
The game remained scoreless throughout regulation despite a combined 21 shot attempts between both teams.
Northeastern took the lead in the 78th minute when junior forward Veronica Napoli scored her ninth goal of the year. She leads the team in goals, followed by sophomore forward Greta Samuelsdottir with eight goals.
“We were in a position to win the game and that’s an exciting position to be in,” Leone said.
Six minutes later, Hofstra’s midfielder Tiffany Yovino beat senior goaltender Sarah Fylak for her 10th goal of the year, tying the game.
Fylak started in net for the Huskies and recorded five saves throughout the contest.
The game remained tied throughout the second half, bringing the contest into overtime.
When neither team had success in the first overtime, the game went to a short-lived double overtime.
Only 46 seconds into the second overtime, Yovino scored her second goal of the match, winning the contest for Hofstra.
“That game was kind of like our playoff game,” Blae said. “It would have been awesome to beat them on their field, on their senior day. But they’re a great team, and they outplayed us. We held our own though, and played good team defense.”
Leone said she was proud of her players for battling hard when they knew their playoff chances were gone.
“It’s a tough position to play when you know your season is over, but it speaks volumes about your character and competitive spirit if you still battle that hard,” Leone said.
Blake said that for the team, this season was about overcoming adversity and becoming stronger.
“We made it through, from starting with a new coach, to winning, then losing four games then winning again,” Blake said.
Leone said many players stepped up and grew, and despite the misfortune of a few injuries, the team got stronger.
“When players are given the opportunity to play, they become better,” Leone said. “‘V’ [Napoli] and Greta [Sameulsdottir] definitely stepped up, and [midfielder] Hillary Savoy had a great freshman year and we’re excited about the possibilities with [sophomore forward] Devin Petta coming back.”
Petta played three games before being granted a medical red-shirt and was unable to play with the team after tearing her ACL in the last game of the season. Petta led the team with 14 goals, seven assists and 35 points her freshman year.
Sophomore forward Hanna Terry transferred to Northeastern this year from the University of Utah, but was not released to play this season.
She will begin playing next year, and Leone said she thinks Terry is a potential player of the year, and is excited for her to join the team in competition.
“I’m disappointed that the seniors won’t see the rewards of their hard work, but the team is going to reap rewards in the future in a big way,” Leone said. “Even though they won’t be there in body, they’ll be there in spirit and we’re going to take their courage with us.”
Blake said she wants the seniors to leave behind a sense of how how much they cared for the team.
“We have a passion for soccer,” Blake said. “We play hard whether it’s for the playoffs or not, or even if it’s against the twentieth team in the country.”
