By Andrew Parente
The men’s soccer team fell to Holy Cross 1-0 Tuesday afternoon.
The Huskies scored a combined eight goals in their first two contests this year at Parsons Field, but were unable to find the net against the Crusaders and were shut out for the fourth time this season.
Both teams had plenty of chances in a very physical first half, which saw two yellow cards given to each team. NU had a chance to strike first in the 20th minute when sophomore midfielder Lars Okland found junior forward Lewis Ehrlich streaking down the right side of the field. Ehrlich crossed the ball to freshman forward Nick Lueders who was unable to get all of the shot and the ball went wide of the goal.
“It makes life easier when you finish your chances,” said head coach Brian Ainscough. “I think we were a little bit tired today and not as turned on as we had been in our previous game.”
All-Colonial Athletic Association preseason team member Alexander Volk made his return to the field for the Huskies, and nearly broke the scoreless tie in the 40th minute.
Senior forward Greg Kilkenny sent a corner kick into the box and Volk was there for the header. The shot went a little high, hit the crossbar and was cleared by the Crusader defense.
Holy Cross didn’t wait long after the failed chance to get the only tally of the game. Junior defenseman Alejandro Melean sent in a perfect ball to freshman forward Alex Schweitzer, who one-timed it past NU goalie Mahmoud Talaat into the right side of the net, giving Holy Cross a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
Northeastern came out in the second half and put immediate pressure on the Crusaders. Just one minute into the half, Kilkenny passed to sophomore midfielder Matthew Lanning, who headed the ball just over the crossbar.
Kilkenny had another chance off a free kick later in the half but put the ball just wide of the right post.
Holy Cross had limited chances to score in the second half as the Huskies’ defense held strong. This included many good defensive plays from freshman Matt Sanford, who continues his strong season.
The Huskies continued to put the pressure on in the game’s last minutes, but were unable to get anything past Crusader sophomore goalie David LeBar.
NU’s most promising chance of the game came in the final minute when the ball was loose in the box and several Huskies had a chance to finish, but were unable to get anything through.
“You just don’t deserve to win when you don’t execute,” Ainscough said. “It doesn’t matter how many chances you have, if you don’t score, you can’t win.”
With the loss, the Huskies drop to 2-4 on the season, while the Crusaders improve to 3-2. Talaat tallied two saves in the game, bringing his season total to 20.
In the loss, Northeastern out-shot Holy Cross 13-9, allowing the Crusaders only two shots in the second half. Along with the two yellow cards given to Holy Cross in the first half, the referees distributed two more to the Crusaders before the end of the game.
Northeastern will hit the road for its next three games, starting Saturday in Amherst where they will meet Massachusetts at 1 p.m. UMass, 3-4-1, is reeling from three straight losses, including its latest to No. 11 Harvard. Northeastern is 2-5 all-time against UMass.
The Huskies return home to Parsons Field Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., when they face off against UNC Wilmington. Northeastern is currently 2-1 when playing at home, and 1-1 all-time against the Seahawks.
