Following a non-conference loss to the University of Hartford Oct. 3, Northeastern University men’s soccer looked to bounce back strong against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe William & Mary and No. 17 Southern Methodist University.
Saturday night was the Kick for Dana Farber Game at Parsons Field, raising awareness and money for the Dana Farber Institute in their quest to find a cure for cancer.
The game kicked off and immediately the Tribe of William & Mary were on the front foot. Northeastern was sloppy, never seeming to hold onto possession long enough to produce any kind of attack on the Tribe’s net.
Approximately 18 minutes into the match, William & Mary’s pressure finally paid off. Tribe midfielder Antonio Bustamante played a long forward ball into the path of William Eskay, who was able to control the ball and find Ryder Bell streaking down the middle of the field. Bell beat three Husky players, including fourth-year goalkeeper Jonathan Thuresson, and calmly slotted it into the net to give the Tribe 1-0 lead.
Bell’s goal appeared to open the floodgates for William & Mary, as they scored three more times in 15 minutes, expanding their lead to 4-0 as the whistle on the first half blew.
Head coach Chris Gbandi was disappointed in his team’s effort in the first half, especially after the result (a 7-1 loss) last year against the same William & Mary team.
“We just looked like we didn’t want to be out here in the first 45 minutes,” Gbandi said. “Any time you’re in a game this important and to come out that flat, I just don’t know what it is. It’s just a disappointing way to start a game.”
While the Huskies tacked on a late goal courtesy of a penalty kick from third-year defender Martin Nygaard, the Huskies’ fate had already been sealed in that 15 minute stretch to open the game, and the Tribe secured a victory with a final score of 4-1.
Though Northeastern was able to keep William & Mary off the scoreboard in the second half, Gbandi saw that as a result of the Tribe cutting back scoring efforts rather than the Huskies improving.
“I think they took their foot off the gas,” Gbandi said. “They came out, punched us in the mouth and we just laid down and didn’t fight back. We want to feel good about ourselves with that goal, but in reality they took their foot off the gas.”
The road did not get any easier for the Huskies, as they took on No. 17 ranked Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday night.
A switch to a five-defender system was on the cards for Northeastern, a move that Gbandi explained was a tactic designed for facing SMU.
“I think it was for the matchup with SMU,” Gbandi said. “Obviously we haven’t decided what we’re doing with Elon but I think we did a good job with it in the first half.”
The Huskies did indeed play a solid first half against the nationally ranked Mustangs of SMU. Fourth-year forward Harry Swartz continued his strong play and had the best chance of the night for the Huskies with his header rattling the post in the 18th minute.
The Mustangs struck first when Garrett McLaughlin’s seventh goal of the season — and his first of five points on the night — put SMU on the scoreboard.
The Huskies held strong until the whistle blew for halftime. However, the Mustangs came out of the locker room strong, bringing the pressure just as William & Mary had done in the previous game.
Before Northeastern could blink, the Mustangs tacked on two more goals, and remained in cruise control from then on. SMU eventually scored six in total, adding another lopsided defeat for the Huskies this week.
Gbandi acknowledged his team’s struggles this season, but also realized that one win against a conference rival this weekend at Elon can be the momentum shift the Huskies need to get their season back on track.
“We all know it has been a very difficult season,” Gbandi said. “But I think one win can change all that. You get a win in conference and all of a sudden morale is very high. We still have a chance to make it into the conference tournament, and right now that is our goal.”
