Elizabeth Thomas, News Correspondent

The women’s soccer team’s offseason is quickly drawing to a close as the Huskies make their final preparations for their regular season-opener next week.

The Huskies shut out the University of Maine Black Bears 2-0 Sunday in their only preseason game of 2012. The squad will kick off the regular season against Boston University at Parsons Field on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m.

Until then, head coach Tracey Leone says her team will continue to practice and train to be as prepared as possible  for their upcoming season.

“We are fine-tuning and just getting ready for the season,” Leone, who is in her third year as head coach, said in a phone interview. “The girls have been working really hard with great training and cohesiveness and it’s been a tremendous preseason that’s been very enjoyable and very productive.”

The Huskies won their exhibition game against Maine handily behind goals from freshman forward/midfielder Taylor Tharp and sophomore forward Lahaina Zoller. Sophomore keeper Paige Burnett posted a four-save clean sheet. But Leone expects the team’s first regular season game against Boston University to be more difficult.

“You don’t get better if you never play the best, and we are happy with starting that way against BU for sure,” she said.

Northeastern has 17 players returning from last year, which Leone said adds to team chemistry. But adapting freshmen into the system is crucial for the team as well, she said.

“When you’re not really playing that well, you play harder for each other when down and end up winning the games for each other because of that chemistry,” she said.

The Huskies graduated six seniors from last year’s roster, including leading scorer and All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) third team selection Veronica Napoli, leaving co-captains senior forward Greta Samuelsdottir, senior goalkeeper Megan Penn and junior midfielder Hillary Savoy to lead the 2012 Huskies.

Despite the losses, Leone said she is confident in the trio’s ability to lead and set an example for the young players.

“We lost a very talented class [in the offseason], but you know every year a class graduates and has to be replaced. The only way to get over that is to play a very good freshman class but also have your returning players step up, and that’s what we are seeing,” she said.

Eight freshman recruits reported to Northeastern this season, and Leone said she is pleased thus far with their individual performances in practice.

“I think our freshmen are doing very well,” Leone said. “They are really fitting in with the team very well, and they are working hard and are very coachable. They are very invested in the team.”

The Huskies will call upon both freshmen and veterans to avenge a disappointing end to the 2011 season. Northeastern reached the semifinals of the CAA tournament last year before falling to Virginia Commonwealth University 1-0 to finish the season 9-10-2.

“We have very big goals this year,” said Samuelsdottir, a native of Kopavogur, Iceland. “We definitely see ourselves going farther than we did last season.  I am especially excited about it since it’s my last year, because I know our main goal is to leave this year with rings on our fingers, meaning the ultimate goal is to win the NCAA tournament, and I definitely  think we have the team this year to finish that goal.”

The team knows its 2012 season will be a challenge – but Leone said she and the Huskies are eager to prove themselves.

“I think we have a team of fighters and I am ready to go into battle with them for sure,” Leone said.