By Andy MacDougall, News Correspondent
The then-No. 14 Northeastern field hockey team received a pair of standout performances from their defense and senior forward Crystal Poland netted five of six Northeastern goals on the weekend as the Huskies continued their torrid start with a 3-2 victory over then-No. 6 University of Virginia, and a 3-1 victory over then-No. 20 Michigan State.
The two wins vaulted Northeastern seven spots in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association weekly poll for a second-consecutive week. The Huskies now sit at No. 7 in the country – previously the highest the program had ranked was No. 9 in the final poll of 2004.
That season, the Huskies won the America East championship, earning a spot in the NCAA championship tournament.
The weekend victories propelled the Huskies seven spots in the weekly National Field Hockey Coaches poll to No. 7 and a 5-0 overall record.
“I feel like by beating a top opponent like UVA we were really able to prove how good of a team we are, how much we’ve grown in the past couple of games, and just what we’re capable of doing,” senior midfielder Allison Conti said.
Far away from home, in East Lansing, Mich., the Huskies wasted little time flexing their muscles against a powerful Virginia squad. Freshman Deirdre Duke scored less than three minutes into the game off a corner play from junior forward Lindsay Bennett, with the assist going to Poland. Six minutes later, Poland netted a goal of her own, again off a corner play from Bennett, to give the Huskies a quick 2-0 lead.
The Cavaliers (5-2) outshot the Huskies 19-7 on the afternoon, but Northeastern’s defense limited Virginia to only seven shots on goal. With the score 2-1 in the second half, following a missed shot by Virginia, Poland charged down field and found herself in a one-on-one with Cavaliers goalie Jenny Johnstone. Poland made the most of her breakaway, netting the eventual game-winner at 58:25.
“Our defense starts with our front line, and I think every single player is working hard on their defensive part of the game,” head coach Cheryl Murtagh said. “In the Virginia game, there was a lot of front line pressure that caused Virginia to turn the ball over. Our backs have been exceptional at stepping up, and I think it’s all the way through, and I would say in both games, our midfield defense was strong.”
The biggest concern for many of the Huskies came the following day, where a loss to Michigan State could cast a shadow of doubt over their win against UVA.
“We took a lot of ice baths, that’s for sure,” Poland said. “We just did stuff to get us ready to go physically. Right after the game, Coach [Murtagh] turned around and said ‘I’m already thinking about Michigan State tomorrow.’ We don’t usually play back to back, so it was a quick turn around, but I think we did a good job of mentally preparing ourselves for a game the next day.”
The game was a defensive struggle from the start, as the Spartans kept Northeastern in check. The Huskies took 13 shots in the first frame, but only an attempt by Poland made it past Spartan netminder Molly Cassidy in the first half.
On the other end of the pitch, sophomore Kate Carlson and seniors Conti and Christine Tase played strong hockey, cutting off angles on defense and helping to facilitate the offense.
Michigan State knotted the game at one apiece with a goal by sophomore forward Abby Barker a minute and a half into the second half, but after that, Northeastern’s defense stymied the Spartans.
Following the Spartan’s goal, Poland answered two minutes later by burying a shot following a steal from the Spartan defense. Poland would add a third goal with less than 12 minutes left in regulation to seal the victory, and clinch her second hat-trick in three games.
With five goals on the weekend, Poland now has 11 goals in five games, bringing her goals per game to 2.20, the best in the nation.
“I think this year, personally, I’m fitter, and our team chemistry is just unbelievable,” Poland said of her fast start. “We just all show up to play.”
The senior’s career-goal total of 61 has her only six goals behind Northeastern’s all-time career goals leaders Mari Creatini (2001-2004) and Denise Nasca (1992-1995). She’s also a mere 23 points from Creatini’s program record for points in a career (162).
The strong showing this past weekend also brought a pair of individual accolades back to Northeastern. Poland captured her second-consecutive CAA Player of the Week honor, while Duke took home her second conference Rookie of the Week award on the young season.
The Huskies will get to stay local this weekend, as they play at the University of Massachusetts on Friday at 6 p.m. before heading to the University of New Hampshire for a date with the Wildcats on Sunday at 4 p.m.
