By Eoghan Kelly, News Staff
The men’s soccer team has proven in this young season to be one of the most resilient teams in the country when it’s on the road.
At home, the Huskies continue to appear invincible.
Northeastern (5-1-1) overcame its worst start to a game so far in 2012 when senior forward Don Anding scored three goals as the Huskies blew out the College of the Holy Cross, 5-2, Tuesday night to remain undefeated on their home turf (3-0-0) in 2012.
“We started out pretty slow,” Anding said. “We came out flat and then we almost paid for it. We did pay for it. Luckily we were able to come back and take care of business.”
After a difficult 1-1-1 road trip that produced two double-overtime games and kept the Huskies away from Parsons Field for more than three weeks, Northeastern extended its home winning streak to 10 games and avoided its first loss at Parsons since a 2-1 overtime defeat at the hands of the College of William & Mary on Nov. 6, 2010.
“We always expect to win here,” Anding said. “It’s very hard for teams to come here and play and try to get a result. … We just know we’re gonna take care of business and we do it.”
The Huskies got off to a sluggish start and struggled to possess the ball for the first 10 minutes of the game. As a result, they conceded the lead to the Crusaders (2-6-0) after only eight minutes of play when a pretty combination play led to a tap-in goal for junior midfielder Tommy Uttaro.
But the early wake-up call brought the Huskies to life as the red and black responded with three goals in a span of 18 minutes to take a two-goal advantage.
Anding and senior midfielder Andre Ciliotta combined to level the score in the 15th minute when Ciliotta controlled a Holy Cross turnover in the attacking third and slotted the ball to Anding, who was left to run into the 18-yard box and tuck a shot past freshman goalie Kevin Wright.
From then on, everything went Northeastern’s way.
Sophomore forward Donovan Fayd’Herbe de Maudave scored a highlight-reel goal less than 90 seconds later when he ripped a left-footed volley from the edge of the penalty area inside the left post to make it 2-1 and put the Huskies on top for good.
Senior goalkeeper Oliver Blum, who was forced to make only one save and replaced by redshirt-sophomore Jacob Aduama in the 76th minute, said that Northeastern’s response to the Holy Cross goal was a reflection of the team’s flexibility.
“We’re a very resilient team, as you’ve seen all season,” Blum said. “We score late goals. We have a lot of self-belief. We have that never-say-die attitude, which is good. I think that when we do go down a goal, we don’t bury ourselves. I think we pick ourselves up well.”
Anding added goals in the 33rd and 63rd minutes to give the Huskies insurance. He now has 12 points (five goals, two assists) in as many games in 2012.
Freshman forward Terence Carter made it a four-goal differential with 18 minutes left when he put it through Wright’s legs from just outside the six-yard box, marking his second goal in three games. Northeastern scored five goals for the first time since a 5-0 win over Sacred Heart University on Sept. 22, 2002.
But head coach Brian Ainscough said the game was much closer than the three-goal margin of victory suggested.
“We were very flattered by the result,” Ainscough said, pointing out that the Crusaders’ controlled possession for most of the first half. “We had 13 shots and they had nine. Sometimes the result doesn’t tell the whole story. Holy Cross were better than the result, and we weren’t as good as the result.”
Uttaro earned his second point of the night when he assisted on junior midfielder Monty Sanders’ goal in the 87th minute. But it was too little too late.
At the College of William & Mary on Sept. 22, the Huskies were the beneficiaries of a late goal.
After playing in a 1-0 hole for nearly 70 minutes, Blum looped a ball into the box which sophomore defenseman Simon Cox headed over Tribe sophomore goalkeeper Bennett Jones to tie the game with three seconds left in regulation.
“It’s not really a style of play we want to keep playing, but as a last-ditch effort, we kind of throw it in there,” Blum said of his ability to connect with his forwards on long balls from Northeastern’s half of the field. “It’s not really part of our game plan to play like that, but when our back’s against the wall, whatever it takes.”
Freshman keeper Dylan Faber made his second consecutive start and allowed a 21st minute goal to sophomore defender Michael Teiman that gave the Tribe an early lead. Blum replaced Faber for the second half and did not allow a goal in 65 minutes of play.
The battle with the Tribe was Northeastern’s fourth game in 2012 to go to double-overtime, three of which have come on the road. The Huskies are undefeated (3-0-1) in those games.
Anding said the road results could have a long-term impact as Northeastern looks to make a deeper run in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs in 2012.
“It’s hard to get a result on the road,” Anding said. “A tie, a win here or there – those are the things that are going to make the difference between CAAs and NCAAs.”
Northeastern hits the road again Saturday when it visits Virginia Commonwealth University in its final non-conference game of the season.
Ainscough said he hopes his team can take the momentum from Tuesday’s win and translate it into a positive result at VCU.
“We love to play against VCU. They’re a team that plays really good football,” Ainscough said. “If we can get something out of that game, it should lend well to get ready for Wednesday [Oct. 3 at Drexel University]. We want to make sure we can take care of non-conference games so maybe the conference is not life-and-death when we get there.”
