By Matthew MacCormack, news correspondent
The Northeastern women’s soccer team’s record-breaking 2014 season came to an end on Nov. 21 with a 3-0 loss at the hands of top-seeded Florida State University (FSU). Over the course of the season, the Huskies broke program records for wins and shutouts, and reached the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament for the second time in school history.
After last week’s first round victory over Boston University (BU), which marked the program’s first ever NCAA tournament win, the Huskies were set for a tough matchup against FSU, this year’s winner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Led by All-American senior midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir, who tallied 38 points this season, the Seminoles entered the contest with a 19-1-1 record.
In order to deal with the scoring potency of the FSU lineup, Northeastern Head Coach Tracey Leone made some player changes prior to kickoff. Leone moved redshirt sophomore midfielder Breeana Koemans and sophomore midfielder Carina Deandreis into the defensive or “holding” midfield spots in front of the NU back four. In addition, she pushed back senior Lahaina Zoller and freshman Kayla Cappuzzo from their traditional forward spots to a midfielder-type role. With more players toting a defensive-minded approach, the Huskies would be better suited to deal with FSU come kick-off in Tallahassee.
Nonetheless, FSU came out firing from the opening whistle. The Seminoles rocketed off 10 shots in the first half alone. However, Northeastern senior keeper Paige Burnett was able to keep the ‘Noles off the board in the early going of the game. Burnett denied Brynjarsdottir twice in the first 10 minutes on two saves, but the NU backline could only withstand the pressure for so long.
FSU finally put one past Burnett in the 18th minute. FSU junior forward Cheyna Williams showcased her skills on the play, knifing through the NU defense before burying a shot in the top right corner. The goal ended the Husky defense’s 387-minute streak without allowing a score.
Despite being down 1-0 against a high-powered offense, the Huskies responded well. Northeastern kept FSU off the board for the remainder of the first frame, and even came close to evening the score before the end of the half.
In the 26th minute, Cappuzzo fired a left-footed rip on net, but Seminole redshirt freshman keeper Cassie Miller was able to deny the effort. NU earned a dangerous free kick in the closing minutes as well but couldn’t convert. Still, when the whistle blew for the first half NU, ranked 25th, was down only one goal to the second-ranked team in the nation.
Leone believed that the team’s resilient first-half performance helped build momentum. It took some time, but the jitters of playing against such a prestigious team seemed to be quelled, she said.
“Coming out for the second half, I think they were really excited and more confident than when they started the game,” Leone said.
However, Northeastern would need more than confidence to keep the Seminoles at bay. NU would hold the ‘Noles scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second frame, but could last no longer. FSU redshirt sophomore midfielder Kirsten Crowley was able to slot a volley home after a loose ball from a Seminole free kick. The 54th minute strike doubled the FSU lead and opened up the attack to continue pressing forward.
Spurred by the momentum, the Seminoles tickled the twine again less than 90 seconds later. Brynjarsdottir finally made her mark on the game, gathering a cross from junior midfielder Isabella Schmid and sliding a shot past Burnett.
The 3-0 advantage effectively buried the Huskies. Although NU freshman forward Carly Wilhelm would put one more shot on goal late in the half, there was no overcoming the FSU scoring triplet. After 90 minutes of soccer, the final whistle ended Northeastern’s dream run.
Nonetheless, there was plenty of positive moments to look back on despite the tournament loss. The Huskies finished with a 15-5-3 record, recording 15 wins and 17 shutouts, both setting program records. The team also finished with a goals against average of 0.375, ranking second in the NCAA.
Leone is proud of the way her team ended the season, especially given FSU’s talent.
“When you get to the NCAA tournament, there’s only one team that ends their season really happily, and that’s the national champion. The other 63 teams lose,” the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year Leone said. “[Playing in the tournament] is just such an amazing learning experience, and I think it’s something great to build on for the future of our program.”
Moving forward, the Huskies have plenty of reason to be excited about next season. NU will keep its three leading scorers from this season in sophomore Mackenzie Dowd and freshmen Hannah Lopiccolo and Cappuzzo. Although replacing senior keeper Paige Burnett and senior center backs Awnalisa Walker and CAA Defensive Player of the Year Bianca Calderone will be tough, another year of tournament experience should help the younger players develop and step up come next season.
“It was a great way to end my senior year, and I bet all the seniors are happy we ended this way,” Calderone said. “We had a great season, and I couldn’t be happier with the way we pulled it together.”
Photo courtesy Phil Kelly, Northeastern Athletics
