By Matthew MacCormack, news correspondent
It took some time and it wasn’t pretty, but the Northeastern women’s soccer team took home its first outright National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament win in school history on Saturday. By edging Boston University (BU) in a 2-0 thriller at BU’s Nickerson Field, the Huskies earned a spot amongst the last 32 teams standing in Division I women’s soccer.
Having defeated BU 1-0 in early September, the Husky women were looking to once again best the rival Terriers. Thanks to a gritty performance by the back five and some opportunistic attacking play, Northeastern was able to do just that. Spurred by a large traveling NU fan base, the women fought through what proved to be one of the most exciting games of the year.
With chilly temperatures prevailing on Saturday afternoon, it took each side a few minutes to get acclimated to the game’s up-tempo pace. For the first 10 minutes of gameplay, neither BU nor Northeastern were able to pass and attack effectively.
The first real opportunity came 17 minutes in when senior goalie Paige Burnett came to the rescue for the Huskies. BU senior forward Taylor Krebs fired in a corner kick that found senior midfielder Jamie Turchi, who flicked a header on goal from the six-yard box. Burnett made the save, grabbing the shot and preventing the rebound.
The close call seemed to finally wake up the rest of the NU team, as the Huskies began to mount attacking pressure in the minutes following. That pressure boiled over with 16 minutes remaining in the half. Freshman forward Kayla Cappuzzo took possession midfield, then slid a perfect ball to fellow freshman forward Carly Wilhelm. Wilhelm dribbled towards the goal and fired a shot that ricocheted off a BU defender and into the back of the net, putting Northeastern up 1-0.
But the BU suffering didn’t end there. In the closing minutes of the half, Terrier senior center back Ariana Aston was forced to leave the game due to injury. Losing a senior leader was a huge blow, and the Terriers were forced to regroup at halftime.
However, it looked like BU came out with even more desire to win in the final 45 minutes of play. The Terriers controlled possession in the second frame, mustering seven shots. BU Head Coach Nancy Feldman was impressed with the way her team responded to adversity.
“This team was pretty persistent, pretty gritty and pretty tough-minded,” Feldman said after the game.
It was Burnett and NU’s four defenders that had to step up in the outset of the second half, as BU had several chances to score. Burnett made four saves in the period, denying BU junior defender McKenzie Hollenbaugh on two separate occasions.
Nonetheless, despite BU’s extensive second-half pressure, it was Northeastern that would once again find the back of the net with 13 minutes left in the game. Taking advantage of the Terriers’ attacking mindset, Cappuzzo was able to counterattack and create another scoring chance for the Huskies.
Off a midfield throw-in, Cappuzzo gained possession and tore down the right sideline. The freshman slid a cross over to redshirt freshman striker Taylor Caparo, who doubled the Husky lead with an easy finish. After facing a substantial amount of pressure, Northeastern Head Coach Tracey Leone was happy with the way the team fought and sealed the deal.
“We’ve got to take advantage of our momentum shifts,” Leone said. “It’s really important to try to capitalize on those, which I think we were able to do.”
Once the final whistle blew, there was an air of relief amidst the Northeastern celebration. BU outshot the Huskies 10-8 in the game and also collected six shots on goal to Northeastern’s three. Burnett was impressed with the way the NU defense held strong despite the Terrier onslaught.
“I thought the BU attack was really dynamic, especially in the last little bit when they were throwing everything forward,” the senior keeper said. “I credit my backline for… how we worked together to overcome those numbers forward [sic].”
Leone was not surprised the game came down to the wire.
“BU is an incredible team, they have an incredible tradition, and we have such high regard for their staff and for their team,” Leone said. “It was obviously a very intense battle between two really, really good teams. You would expect nothing less than that.”
Moving forward, the Huskies have plenty to prepare for in their second round matchup. On deck for NU is one-seeded Florida State University (FSU), who exploded for a 5-0 defeat of their first round opponent, the University of South Alabama.
According to Leone, FSU represents a tough test for any team.
“We know they’re unbelievable,” she said. “They’re such a great possession-oriented team. They have weapons everywhere.”
Two of those Seminole weapons that the Huskies must lock down are the Icelandic-born pair of senior midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir and sophomore forward Berglind Thorvaldsdottir. The dynamic duo is a challenge for play-by-play commentators and opposing defenses alike, with a combined 26 goals and seven assists on the season. The two Icelanders are the engine of a Seminole squad that has won back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference titles and made it to the NCAA championship game last year.
Should the Huskies pull the upset against FSU, they would take on the winner of four-seeded University of Wisconsin and unseeded University of Central Florida.
But, as Leone points out, Northeastern has to take it one game at a time if it wants to be one of 16 to march on to the field.
The Huskies will travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to play FSU at 5 p.m. on Friday.
“I’m really proud of our team and excited to be moving on,” Leone said. “[But] there is no tomorrow if you don’t take care of today.”
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
