The men’s soccer team hasn’t lost a game at Parsons Field in its last 15 matchups, but the Huskies shouldn’t be asked to push that unbeaten streak to 16 without decent fan support when they take on Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament tonight at 7 p.m.
In typical fashion of this season, the Huskies won the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship in double overtime, 1-0, with senior forward Don Anding scoring the game’s only goal in the 106th minute to clinch the conference title and an automatic bid the NCAA tournament.
In Monday’s selection show, NU learned it’d be hosting its first NCAA tournament game since the first round of the 1988 men’s hockey championships. Northeastern was knocked out by Merrimack College as the team with the most goals after two games advanced. The Huskies won Game 1, 5-3, but the Warriors took a 7-3 victory in Game 2 for a 12-6 goal advantage.
The odds are with Northeastern for a win, as the Huskies are 14-0-1 since 2010 on home turf. Additionally, this year, the Huskies finished with a 13-2-4 record. The Eagles finished with a record of 8-5-5.
The team or squad broke the Northeastern record for most wins in a season. Northeastern also has the most double overtime wins in the nation this year with five. That could be seen as good or bad, but the players are reliable when the game is on the line.
The Huskies have only had an average attendance of 382 fans per home game this year. For a team that has gotten its first bid to the NCAA since 2002 and had it’s best record ever, there needs to be a larger crowd tonight.
After the basketball team’s buzzer-beating win over Boston University on Friday night, NU fans swarmed the court. They were also loud all game, which helped the team win a one-point game. The 3,200 people at Matthews Arena created a difficult environment for the Terriers to play in. The men’s soccer team should have that same kind of support for its NCAA tournament game.
The soccer team has maintained its success with a very good defensive effort, only allowing 15 goals during the season. This eases the pressure on the offensive players, so they don’t have to score too many goals per game. Anding leads the team with 14 goals and has been recognized for his offensive leadership by the CAA throughout the season with numerous weekly conference honors. Donovan Fayd’Herbe de Maudave has established himself as a second offensive threat for the Huskies, with five goals and four assists on the season. Defender Simon Cox has also produced on offense, with four goals this season, primarily on free kicks.
BC has struggled offensively, with only .89 goals per game. The Huskies defense should be able to limit the Eagles offense for the majority of the game if they can continue to play at their current level. However, the Eagles have also been good on defense, with starting goalie Justin Luthy’s 1.01 goals against average. The game should be another close one, but the Huskies have the better team on paper and the home field advantage.
They’re also used to playing in close games, so the Huskies could get their first NCAA win since 2002. Only one Husky loss was by more than one goal, which was against the defending NCAA champion, University of Michigan.
In addition, Anding won the CAA player of the year for his 14 goals and 6 assists. Goalie Oliver Blum also leads the CAA with a .56 GAA. If these two can keep up their excellent seasons, the Huskies will be a legitimate threat in the NCAA tournament.
The match against BC will probably be a close, defensive struggle. It wouldn’t be surprising for the game to be tied at zero after regulation.
But when the Huskies score in 109th minute to move onto round two of the NCAA tournament, you’ll have wished you were there.
– Chris Judd can be reached at [email protected]
