A Husky season that started off so promising ended in disappointing defeat Friday, as the Northeastern men’s soccer team lost in the opening round of the CAA Tournament to the William & Mary Tribe, 4-1.

The Huskies (6-9-3) began the season in a sparkling manor, winning five of their first eight matches. However, the downward spiral that haunted the rest of the season began thereafter, and the Huskies went on to lose six of their last nine games. However, their 3-2-2 CAA record secured them the fifth seed in the 2019 CAA Tournament, with an opening match against the fourth-seeded William & Mary.

The Huskies, who lost the last two matches of their regular season, looked to rebound with a quick win in the quarterfinal round. However, the late season woes continued, and NU found themselves quickly in a hole.

Just past the 20 minute mark, W&M senior midfielder Julian Ngoh cashed in, giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead early on. Just five minutes later, the ambitious Ngoh struck again, this time on a penalty kick, for his sixth goal in five games and his second of the match.

The Huskies did not lose hope, however, and when given a penalty of their own, they were sure to cash in. Redshirt freshman forward and CAA Rookie of the Year Timothy Ennin knocked in his fifth penalty goal of the season, past the effort of W&M freshman goalkeeper Kieran Baskett, to bring NU within one.

If there was any hope or momentum beginning to erupt on the Husky side in the first half, it was smashed to pieces by the Tribe offensive in the second.

Just before the clock struck 59:00, W&M sophomore midfielder John Eberle struck from the left side on an assist from freshman forward Alexander Levengood. Next, at 71:23, Levengood had his turn on a pass from the center that he intercepted and powered into the back of the net. The two second-half goals pushed the score to 4-1, which is the margin that the Tribe went on to win by.

The Huskies were outshot 16-10 on the day, racking up five saves to the Tribe’s four. W&M will go on to play first-seeded UNCW Nov. 10, while NU heads home after a bitter end to their season.