By Trevor Wenners, News Correspondent
The Northeastern University women’s soccer team won its first game of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play defeating the Georgia State Panthers 1-0 at Parsons Field on Friday night.
The Husky offense was led by senior forward Greta Samuelsdottir’s third goal of the season, a header off a corner kick by junior midfielder Hannah O’Donnell.
“Greta and [senior defender] Sandra [Magnusdottir] have really been great personalities and have come up in big clutch moments on the field,” head coach Tracey Leone said.
The team plans on using this game as a launching pad for CAA play.
“We are just starting the CAA, and this is what people are going to be seeing,” Samuelsdottir said. “This is our starting point, and today was our first win of many.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Paige Burnett recorded three saves in the contest and her second consecutive shutout of the season.
“She is a spectacular goalkeeper and she is so consistent,” Leone said.
The Huskies won the shot battle, 14-7, including a 5-3 edge on shots on goal. The Huskies defense clamped down in the second half by not allowing any shots.
“Our defense is really coming together and peaking at the right time,” Burnett said. “I give a lot of credit to our defense; they have been playing fantastic.”
Junior midfielder Hanna Terry recorded five shots while Magnusdottir tallied four shots.
With conference play underway, the game has turned more physical as 18 fouls were called over the 90-minute affair.
“Our conference is pretty physical and I am really happy that we matched that because we played Ohio State earlier in the season and we struggled with physicality so it shows that we have grown a lot from our non-conference schedule,” Leone said.
The Huskies are 3-6 overall and 1-0 in CAA play. Their next game will be Sunday against the UNCW Seahawks at Parsons Field at 1 p.m. Assistant volunteer coach and three-time Olympic gold medalist Heather O’Reilly will be signing autographs post-game.
“[The team is] so excited about the conference season starting up and the opportunities that lie ahead,” Leone said.
