By Giovanni Gray, news staff
Northeastern University (NU) women’s soccer traveled south to begin Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play this weekend.
Before this week’s games, the Huskies were ranked No. 37 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) first Rating Percentage Index (RPI) report. As of Sept. 28, the Huskies’ RPI ranking dropped to 52.
Following last week’s double overtime win against the University of New Hampshire, the team traveled to North Carolina to take on Elon University, where the Husky defense notched its second-straight shutout in the 0-0 tie.
In the shutout, which was the Huskies’ fourth of the season, the Huskies managed to outshoot Elon 22-7, with sophomore forward Kayla Cappuzzo leading the squad with five total attempts.
The Huskies also won the shots-on-goal battle, edging Elon out 9-2. Despite not taking home a win, Northeastern earned a point in the CAA standings.
The Huskies then moved on to Virginia to face off against the College of William & Mary, which fell 4-0 to Northeastern in the first round of last season’s CAA tournament. This time, the game ended in a 3-1 loss for the Huskies.
The Tribe struck first in the 15th minute, when senior forward Samantha Cordum notched her first of three goals on the day. Cordum would net another goal in the 59th minute, while NU freshman midfielder Valentina Soares Gache scored on a header just five minutes later, making it a 2-1 game. The goal was Gache’s first on the season and was assisted by junior midfielder Breeana Koemans. Cordum would go on to score the game’s final goal in the 87th minute.
This weekend, the Huskies return to Parsons Field to take on the College of Charleston and University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), two more CAA opponents with RPI rankings of 105 and 47, respectively.
Last season, Northeastern also matched up against both teams in the same weekend, scoring four goals in the contests en route to two shutout victories.
The Huskies enter the weekend’s matches with a 7-4-1 overall record and a 0-1-1 CAA record.
In the CAA, the Huskies’ RPI is bested only by Hofstra University, which sits at 28, and UNCW, which comes in at 47. William & Mary sits at 59 and James Madison University comes in at 73 of 333 teams. The RPI uses factors such as a team’s schedule and the records of the opponents it faces to determine a ranking.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” junior defender Mackenzie Dowd said. “We’re confident in our ability to play. Despite results this weekend, we’re still playing well.”
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics.
