For the second game in a row, the only way the Huskies could find the back of the net was through a Timothy Ennin penalty kick as they were bested 3-1 by the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. 

The Huskies’ (5-3-1) road CAA matchup vs UNCW (4-3-1) started as another defensive battle, with neither team recording a shot on goal until over 20 minutes into the game. Instead of shots, both teams racked up whistles — each team recorded four fouls in the first 30 minutes. 

Northeastern had two chances to score within minutes of each other, as both sophomore forward Benjamin Klingen and sophomore midfielder Ryan Massoud put shots on net in the 24th and 27th minute respectively. The Seahawks freshman goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta, who is off to a fantastic start to the season with a CAA Rookie of the Week award already under his belt, turned both of the Husky efforts away, earning two of his season-high four saves on the day. 

 Just seconds after Perrotta’s save, the Seahawks scored the afternoon’s first goal. Star senior forward Phillip Goodrum put the ball past NU sophomore Chandler Cree. Junior Jacob Evans picked up the assist on Goodrum’s fourth goal of the season. 

After Goodrum’s goal in the 27th minute, neither team managed any scoring until late in the game. Both Cree and Perrotta were sharp, each picking up two saves during the extensive scoring drought.

Once the offensive spark was ignited on the Wilmington pitch, it grew into a full blown fire, with a parade of three goals scored in the last ten minutes of the contest.  

Just before the 82nd minute, the Seahawks picked up an insurance goal, giving them a comfortable two-goal lead. Senior midfielder Gabriel Cabral found a ball that had ricocheted off the post and struck it into the net to earn his third career Division I goal. Dynamic veteran forward Goodrum was involved in the goal and was credited with an assist, as was sophomore midfielder Dominic Toone. 

In grave danger of being shutout as the game reached the 89th minute, NU redshirt freshman forward Timothy Ennin was brought to the ground inside the UNCW box. For the second game in a row, Ennin found himself shooting a penalty kick with under a minute left to play. Immune to the pressure, he cashed in again, closing the gap to just one goal with his third marker of the season. 

Unfortunately, Ennin’s effort wouldn’t even give the Huskies a one goal loss. In the waning seconds of the match, sophomore midfielder Omar De Naia committed a costly foul near the box, picking up a yellow card and giving UNCW a direct free kick. Danny Reynolds finished the game strong for the Seahawks with a goal off the opportunity, giving the home team a two goal victory. 

The Huskies fell to 5-3-1 with the afternoon loss, but still maintain a relatively positive 2-1-1 record in conference play. The Seahawks’ conference win kept them undefeated in CAA play, with a strong 2-0-1 CAA start to the year. 

After a long bus ride home from Wilmington, the Huskies will face off against the formidable Hartford Hawks (6-2) in the confines of Parsons Field Tuesday night, where they will look to improve their 2-2-1 home record.