By Jill Saftel
After 107 minutes of play, it looked as though Northeastern would have to settle for a draw against George Mason University (GMU), that is until senior defender Georgina Kemp found the back of the net with a header to clinch the win for the Huskies Oct. 7.
“At that point everyone was so exhausted that we just wanted it to be over,” Kemp said. “To be honest, I was more excited about the game being over than actually scoring the goal.”
The game-winning goal came with an assist from sophomore midfielder Hannah O’Donnell on a corner kick. The goal was Kemp’s first of the year as well as O’Donnell’s first assist.
Despite the low score of 1-0, GMU outshot Northeastern 18-15 while the Huskies held the advantage in shots on goal seven to six. Junior forward Greta Samuelsdottir and junior defender Sandra Magnusdottir led the Huskies offensively with five and four shots, respectively.
It was Magnusdottir who first put the Huskies on the board to equalize the match. Her unassisted goal came from 35 yards out when she shot one above the reach of GMU goalkeeper Lyndse Hokanson, who made five stops in the match.
Northeastern’s freshman goaltender Paige Burnett her strong season, making six saves and raising her save percentage to .761 with 67 saves on the season.
“Friday we came out with great energy overall,” said head coach Tracey Leone. “We had players step up in big moments and as a team we all stepped up. It was just a really, really exciting win. Winning in double overtime is the greatest feeling.”
The Huskies didn’t fair as well in Sunday’s CAA matchup against Towson, in which senior forward Veronica Napoli’s seventh goal of the season wasn’t enough to jump-start the Husky offense against the Tigers.
“We felt like the team played really well and worked really hard on Friday and then on Sunday we didn’t get the same result and obviously the thoughts on that game weren’t the same,” Kemp said of the 3-1 loss.
Leone echoed Kemp’s thoughts, calling the team’s play lethargic due to overall physical and metal fatigue.
“We didn’t come back Sunday with same level of focus, energy or desire. We gave up early goals in first and second halves so we were chasing the game and we put ourselves behind the eight ball,” Leone said. “That’s a tough spot to be in.”
Sophomore midfielder Taylor Skeffington and sophomore forward Hanna Terry both created chances for the Huskies, but Skeffington’s shot was blocked out of play and Terry’s hit the post.
With one win and one loss on the weekend, the Huskies drop to third in the CAA rankings with 7-6-1 record overall and 3-2-1 in CAA play.
Kemp said the team’s play has been more cohesive and the players have started to mesh a bit better.
“We really want to finish the year off on a positive note,” she said. “A lot of people are playing for the seniors because they’ve given so much to this team.”
“We really want to finish the year off on a positive note,” she said. “A lot of people are playing for the seniors because they’ve given so much to this team.”
This year’s senior class ended their season on a positive note once before, with a CAA championship their freshman year, an accomplishment both Kemp and Leone say they’d like the seniors to see again.
“It was a great high and then a great low this weekend. I think everyone left really disappointed but we’ve just got to bounce back,” Leone said. “The great thing about college soccer is you turn around and have another game in five days and a fresh start.”
The Huskies will be looking for another victory when they return home this weekend to take on Old Dominion University at 6 p.m. on Friday at Parsons Field.
