By Kimberly Peterson
For the first time this season, the Northeastern’s women’s soccer team was thoroughly outplayed and defeated.
They were tired, rundown and worn out as they took the field against a very offensive-minded Sacred Heart University team.
In summary, the Huskies did not have the energy to prevent Sacred Heart from burying them 4-0 Tuesday night. The loss gives the Huskies their third of the season. (4-3-3). The game was NU’s third in five days and their exhaustion level showed. Coach Ed Matz made no excuses for his teams performance.
“I told them that we didn’t play well and that everyone was to blame, from the goaltender to the forwards,” he said.
Missing from the game were top defenders junior Emily Haahr and sophomore Andi Matthews, both out with ankle and knee injuries, respectively.
“The overtime game took a lot out of us and we didn’t have Haahr or Matthews. When we don’t have those two playing this year we are 0-3,” said Matz.
The Pioneers started off the scoring at 35:07 on a 1-2 pass from the corner. The goal was the only scoring from either team in the first half. Their three remaining goals came in the second half at 48:48, 58:57 and 63:05.
“It’s been a long few days, but that is no excuse. We should have come out a lot stronger than we did,” said sophomore Jennifer North. “But this game is behind us now.”
At least the weekend didn’t go as bad.
On Sunday the Huskies played their first conference game of the season against Stony Brook. North scored NU’s only goal in the 1-1 tie. At 40:47 North scored a highlight-reel goal as she drove the ball right past the Seawolves keeper. Stony Brook was able to tie it up in the second half at 67:31.
“We came out a little hesitant and we didn’t have a great first half,” said Matz. “Then Jen North came through with a big goal for us.”
The game was one of the Huskies’ lower scoring games of the season, and the tie kept them from gaining three points in league play.
“It was our first conference game and we really wanted to win that game,” said North. “I think that Stony Brook was happy with the tie, but we really wanted the win.”
Her coach agreed.
“Stony Brook is a very good team, and it was an evenly matched game,” said Matz.
The Huskies began their three-game road trip last Friday at LIU field when they took on Long Island University, downing the Blackbirds in a 3-0 win. North started the scoring for the Huskies at the 36:58 mark.
“That first goal that Jennifer North scored was a great individual effort, we pretty much dominated the game from that point on,” said Matz.
Freshman Jess Pfeifer finished off the scoring for NU with goals at 81:33 and 84:47.
Long Island never threatened as the Huskies controlled most of the play through the game. Sophomore Cynthia Slowik was also instrumental in the Huskies’ win even with just one save, on a breakaway in the beginning of the second. In the end the Huskies out shot the Blackbirds 14-5.
“To be honest I didn’t expect this, ” said Matz. “We traveled for 3 1/2 hours and we had some problems getting to the game, so we didn’t have that much time to warm up. We could have come up with a lot of excuses if we hadn’t played well.”
North was much more direct in her assessment of the game.
“Long Island was a team that we definitely thought we could beat, ” said North.
The Huskies will once again be on the road this coming weekend when they take on University of Hartford. The game begins Sunday at 1 p.m.
