After playing to a draw in the conference opener at Drexel University, the Northeastern University women’s soccer team rolled on to win three straight, crafting an undefeated 3-0-1 record in the early stages of Colonial Athletic Association conference play. The Huskies notched their 12th consecutive home victory against the University of Delaware Thursday and capped off a strong week with a road win at James Madison University (JMU) on Sunday, bringing the Red and Black to a 9-4-1 record on the season.
The Huskies took heed of head coach Ashley Phillips’ statements last week about storming out of the gate, striking two shots on goal in the first five minutes of action against Delaware.
In the fifth minute, the Blue Hens committed a costly mistake, registering a handball within their own 18. This paved the way for a penalty kick attempt by third-year forward Hannah Rosenblatt. Her first attempt ricocheted off the outstretched arms of Delaware goalkeeper Kailyn Rekos, but Rosenblatt was able to tap the rebound into the bottom left corner to take the early lead. The goal served as her team-leading fifth score of the season, and the 19th of her career.
Despite being one goal away from becoming the fourth Husky to reach the 20-goal plateau before the end of her third year, Rosenblatt noted that these individual accomplishments rarely cross her mind, on or off the field.
“I never think about that sort of thing,” Rosenblatt said. “The plan is just to keep winning. Hopefully we can keep winning these CAA games, because right now that’s all I care about.”
The Huskies continuously put the pressure on Rekos, outshooting the Blue Hens 11-2 in the first half.
In spite of the dismal first half, the Blue Hens showed signs of life in the second, dominating the Huskies in terms of possession. If not for the defensive wall of first-years Mikenna McManus and Julianne Ross, second-year Emily Evangelista and third-year Eve Goulet, the Blue Hens would have delivered more than just one clean shot on goal.
For the second straight contest, McManus did not let any balls get by her, either stifling the Blue Hens forwards well outside the box or racing back to prevent any uncontested shots on goal from reaching third-year goalkeeper Nathalie Nidetch.
Phillips had nothing but praise for her star defender.
“As a freshman, Mikenna’s been one of our best, most consistent players,” Phillips said. “I think she adds a different kind of technical ability that we don’t have — she’s left-footed and right-footed. She takes some free kicks and most corner [kicks]. With our style, she brings a confident, reliable play that really helps us.”
Only allowing one shot on goal in the second half, the Huskies defense proved to be the catalyst in extending the program-record home-win streak to 12 consecutive games. Rosenblatt believes that winning so often at home is more than just a mere coincidence.
“We’re always comfortable here at home,” she said. “[We] get to sleep in our own beds, we practice at regular times and there’s just something about playing here in front of our friends and family that gives us a higher level of excitement.”
Regardless of the important victory, Coach Phillips believes that Thursday’s match left something to be desired from her squad.
“This game was a tale of two halves,” Phillips asserted. “I think we were able to control the tempo pretty well in the first, but we let the game get away from us at times in the second. We’re a very hungry team, and we just took our foot off the pedal and slowed it down. That wasn’t our best effort, but we’re pleased with the victory.”
Hoping for a better all-around performance, the Huskies trekked down to Harrisonburg, Virginia to take on the JMU Dukes in a showdown of two perennial conference powers.
For the second time in as many games, the Red and Black netted a ball within the first five minutes of play, with third-year forward Nicole Gorman sending an assist from third-year middie Valentina Soares Gache into the back of the net in the third minute.
After the Dukes tied the game in the 25th minute, first-year forward Chelsea Domond found the net in the 32nd off a beautiful cross from fourth-year forward Kayla Cappuzzo, adding to an already strong inaugural conference play for Domond. The goal proved to be the game-winner, as the Huskies held on to the victory behind yet another solid performance by Nidetch.
The assist, number 19 for Cappuzzo in her storied career at NU, tied the program record set by Liz Dyjak in 2012. The senior collected accolades in September, as she became the seventh Husky in team history to rack up 50 career points just last week.
Cappuzzo hopes to make history this Thursday as the Huskies take on Elon University in North Carolina in another tough conference matchup.
