By Conor Nevins
BROOKLINE – Entering last week’s two-game homestand at Parsons Field, the men’s soccer team needed some good fortune. They had yet to win a game in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and found themselves on the wrong side of the standings.
What a difference a week can make. Two victories in three days have brought the Huskies hopes for postseason play closer to reality, as Northeastern (3-6-6, 2-1-5 CAA) defeated UNC-Wilmington (7-6-2, 2-3-2) 2-1 and Georgia State (4-11-0, 2-6-0 ) 2-0.
Against UNC-Wilmington, the Huskies needed a last-minute penalty kick from senior captain Tom Heimreid to seal their first victory in conference play and second of the season. The penalty came in the 82d minute after freshman and newly converted forward Andrew Konopelsky was taken down inside the box.
Head coach Brian Ainscough moved Konopelsky up top, away from his usual position on defense, hoping to inject some much-needed energy in the frontline.
“Greg (Kilkenny) has been acting as our only forward for much of the season,” Ainscough said. “Andrew, even when he’s playing defense, likes to get forward, so we decided to try him out up top.”
UNC-Wilmington opened the scoring 20 minutes into the game when freshman forward Tim Masters beat senior goalkeeper Sergio Saccoccio, giving the Seahawks a 1-0 lead. That lead took them to halftime, but did not last much longer as sophomore midfielder Padraig Tangney met a cross from freshman midfielder Nick Patrikis and headed home the tying goal just four minutes into the second half.
Sunday’s game against Georgia State was the final home game for Northeastern’s five seniors, who ended their career at Parsons Field with the team’s second consecutive win of the season, beating the Panthers, 2-0. Jay Betley, Jeff Gannon, Tom Heimreid, David Downing, and Saccoccio were honored before kickoff.
The Husky offense was commanding early, dominating in possession time over a Panther team content with staying back and playing defense. However, GSU goalie Felipe Carvalho kept the ball out of the net for the first half.
Senior captain Jeff Gannon had the best chance in the first 45 minutes, taking a pass from Konopelsky just outside the penalty box. His effort from 20 yards out was hard and low, but Carvalho was able to get his fingertips on it, tipping it away for a corner.
Going into the half 0-0, Ainscough said he felt his team was not aggressive enough with its opportunities.
“We started well, but we let up a little bit on them towards the end of the half,” Ainscough said. “I think if we kept the pressure on them we might have gotten something out of the first half.”
The Huskies started the second half much like they did the first, but this time did not let up. Konopelsky and Kilkenny continually put pressure on the Panthers’ defense, and it seemed just a matter of time before the Huskies would crack the scoreboard.
They had to wait until the 61st minute off a corner kick as junior defender Matt Handy scored his first goal for Northeastern, firing home a loose ball past Carvalho, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
That lead would double with 18 minutes left in the game as Kilkenny found himself just outside the box with time to set up a shot. The sophomore forward made no mistake with the open opportunity, firing a low, left-footed blast into the bottom right corner for his team-leading fifth goal of the year.
While Sunday was a celebration of the careers of five Husky seniors, the focus of Ainscough’s squad remains fixed on extending their season. Compiling six points from two games this week, Northeastern now finds itself in a three-way tie for fourth place with Towson and Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA standings.
“We’re looking forward to practice this week,” Gannon said. “We have three games left and are in a good position after this weekend.”
