By Brian Fields, news staff
The Northeastern University (NU) women’s soccer team concluded their brief road trip on a sour note, losing an overtime heartbreaker to the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns. The defeat brought the Huskies to a 1-2 record on their road trip, featuring three nail biters each decided by one goal, bringing the team to a 5-3 record on the season.
After falling to crosstown rival Boston College, the Huskies bounced back with a narrow victory over the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs following early goals from sophomore midfielder Kerri Zerfoss and senior midfielder Hannah Lopiccolo.
On Sunday, the Red and Black took on the Longhorns in Austin, Texas. The Huskies struck first for the fifth time in their last six matches, with junior midfielder Valentina Soares Gache netting her first goal of the season on a 14th minute free kick from 18 yards out, bending it just beyond the reach of UT goalkeeper Nicole Curry.
Despite an otherwise strong game between the crossbars from junior goalkeeper Nathalie Nidetch, the Longhorns were able to score a pair of quick goals in the 51st and 56th minutes to take a lead early in the second half. This lead wouldn’t last long, however, as Lopiccolo nailed the equalizer in the 59th minute off a perfect pass from freshman forward Chelsea Domond. This would prove to be the final score in regulation time, as the game headed to its first extra time of the young season.
The Huskies, matched up against their undefeated opponent, were unable to close out the road trip with a victory, as the golden goal found its way into the net nine minutes into extra time, sealing the Huskies’ fate with a 1-1 record in the Lone Star state.
Head coach Ashley Phillips gave nothing but praise for Nidetch, happy to see her hot streak carry over from last season when she allowed just two goals in the final five games.
“She’s been unbelievable this year,” Phillips said. “[Nidetch] ended last season on a high note, and she brought that momentum through the offseason into this season. She’s confident, she’s excited and she’s ready to do whatever it takes to help this team win.”
In spite of the undesirable result, Lopiccolo’s 50th career point serves as a silver lining, as she became the sixth player in Northeastern women’s soccer history to achieve this feat, joining the likes of Veronica Napoli (Class of 2013, 89 points) and Kristen Kowalik (Class of 2007, 73 points) as one of the most decorated players in program history.
The 5-3 record is an improvement from one year ago, as the Huskies owned a 3-4-1 record at this point in the 2016 season.
“We lost a really big class last year and this year was definitely about creating a new identity,” Phillips said. “It’s definitely tough losing such a strong class, but the important thing is moving forward and not looking backward.”
Strong play from veterans Lopiccolo, Nidetch and junior forward Hannah Rosenblatt has served as the catalyst for solid victories against Stony Brook University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Maine, Harvard University and TCU. Despite racking up three losses on the season, the Huskies have proven that a win will not come easy against them, as all three defeats have come by a one-goal difference.
The Huskies have maintained a high level of performance since the last few games of 2016 largely because of the seamless transition of freshmen defender Julianne Ross and forward Chelsea Domond into a lineup riddled with uncertainty.
Phillips spoke to the natural integration of both players into a reinvented squad.
“Julianne is one of the best athletes we’ve ever had in our program, and although she’s still learning tactically, she’s brought much needed relief to our back line,” Phillips said. “As for Chelsea on the top, she’s a different player. She’s really creative on ball, and she’s going to be a real special player if she keeps developing at the rate she has been.”
With just two matches until the Huskies enter conference play, Phillips looks to improve upon overall team confidence before a set of contests in one of the tougher mid-major conferences in soccer.
“We scheduled some big time games in hopes that it would give us some adversity and boost our confidence,” Phillips noted. “In order to compete with some of the more talented, well-coached teams, we’ve worked on speed of play and really controlling the overall tempo of the game by playing some of the larger programs such as Texas, TCU and Boston College.”
The Huskies look to bounce back and improve upon their 5-3 record this Friday at 6 p.m. as they host Dartmouth at Parsons Field.
