By Matthew MacCormack, news correspondent
The Northeastern women’s soccer team went undefeated in the opening week of conference play. Although the teams of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) represent a formidable opposition, the black and red had little trouble earning a couple of gritty conference wins last weekend. The women improved their record to 7-3-2 with two impressive away victories against the College of William & Mary and Elon University, both CAA rivals.
The first triumph came on Friday when the Huskies rolled into historic Williamsburg, Va., to battle William & Mary. Coming in, the Tribe were riding a six game winning streak and were looking to continue their dominant form in the CAA opener.
The Huskies, however, had other plans.
After a back-and-forth saga that saw both sides come within inches of tying it up, the game’s decisive moment came with just ten minutes remaining in regulation. In the 80th minute, Northeastern redshirt sophomore midfielder Breeana Koemans fired a cross into the box off of a corner kick. The ball was deflected several times before sophomore outside back Mackenzie Dowd came to the rescue, slotting home the eventual game winner.
Given that it was the Huskies’ first ever win at William & Mary, the 1-0 victory felt a little sweeter. Head Coach Tracey Leone was thrilled with the way the Huskies hung in against a stellar opponent.
“It’s a tremendous accomplishment,” Leone said. “William & Mary has always been a traditional powerhouse in the CAA… and nationally as well.”
After grinding out a close victory, the ladies traveled down to N.C. for a clash with the Elon Phoenix on Sunday.
This time, the win came a little easier for the Huskies. The team was able to register a quartet of scores, with the game ending as a 4-0 finish.
Sophomore midfielder Carina Deandreis got things rolling for the Huskies when she volleyed in a header off of a corner in the 31st minute. The black and red held onto the 1-0 lead for the first half and then opened things up in the second 45 minutes of play.
Just three minutes into the second frame, Dowd found the back of the net for the second time in two games once again firing home a corner kick rebound.
From there, Hannah Lopiccolo dominated on the Northeastern offense. The freshman midfielder found the netting twice in a five-minute span. In the 65th minute, Lopiccolo powered home a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. Five minutes later, the freshman knocked in a close range effort to give the Huskies a 4-0 lead they would hold until the final whistle.
Out of the five goals mustered by the squad in the road trip, it was interesting to note that three of them came off corner kicks.
“Set pieces have been successful for us,” Leone said. “Whenever you can score that first goal, it takes a little stress off of you.”
Dowd was especially noteworthy on the trip, netting two goals from the outside back position. Her hard work was noticed by the league ,and she earned CAA Player of the Week. After playing center back in high school, Dowd has made a quick transition to the outer fullback role, and says she now feels “a lot more comfortable on the ball” after a year of attacking from the back.
As for her award, the sophomore was quick to shed light on her teammates.
“It’s always a huge honor to be recognized by your conference,” Dowd said. “But ultimately I think it’s an honor for the team as a whole.”
Dowd is one member of a now-historic back line for the Huskies. The women have recorded shutouts in nine of the 12 games played this season, and with seven games still on the schedule, they have already broken the program’s single season record for clean-sheets. Senior keeper Paige Burnett and her crew of defenders (seniors Bianca Calderone and Awnalisa Walker and sophomores Dowd and Skylar LeBlanc) have posted 0.235 goals against average, which currently ranks third in the NCAA.
“To feel so confident in your back line and your goalkeeper…is really comforting,” Leone said. “It’s really fun to kind of sit back and watch.”
Although the Huskies currently sit atop CAA polls, there is plenty of work to do if the Huskies are to remain conference champions. Colonial foes Towson University and James Madison University will visit Parsons Field this weekend. Both represent tough tests for the scorching Huskies.
Leone knows that even though the girls took care of business this weekend, they have to continue their brilliant form to get where they want to be by this season’s end.
“We couldn’t be happier with our start,” she said. “But we know we’ve got a long way to go.”
Photo by Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
