Huskies storm back to douse the Dragons

Riley Robinson

The Northeastern Huskies against the Drexel Dragons in spring, 2021

Peyton Doyle, news staff
April 11, 2021

The Northeastern Huskies women’s soccer team (5-4-1, 3-1-0 CAA) saw their playoff hopes dimmed after giving up an early goal to the Drexel Dragons (3-3-1, 1-1-1 CAA) Sunday afternoon at Parsons Field. The Huskies, however, could not be buried so easily. Despite not having a single come-from-behind victory on the season, they stormed back with three second-half goals to cap off their regular season with a 3-1 victory. 

Drexel entered coming off a game where they drew 1-1 with the No. 25 Hofstra Pride (6-0-1, 2-0-1 CAA), meaning that if the Huskies wanted a shot at the playoff, they had to win their matchup with the Dragons. 

On Senior Day, the Huskies honored their starting forwards Katarina Nilsson and Chelsea Domond. 

Senior goalkeeper Megan Adams, who lost the starting job to sophomore Angeline Friel, made her mark early on in her third straight start on defense, saving a potential goal by Drexel. The attack got past Friel and had a wonderful chance on goal. Adams dove in front of the storming Dragon and blocked the shot on goal.

The Dragons, however, were able to score just a few minutes after Adams’ save. Just 12 minutes into the game, senior defender Maggie Daeche got one past Friel to give her team an early lead.

NU was able to get opportunities on goal in the first half but could not find the back of the net. Early on, Domond and Nilsson had the senior connection working with Domond finding her teammate inside their opponents’ box, but the shot was blocked away by a Drexel defender.

Coming out of the break, the Huskies showed that they would not go down easy. Just 30 seconds into the second half, NU pushed the ball deep into the Drexel defense and found Domond for a beautiful opportunity on goal. Senior forward Kayla McCauley snuck one in to junior forward Tatiana Ortega who slipped it to Domond, but the shot was launched away by leaping senior goalkeeper Miyuki Schoyen.

Despite missing the close opportunities the Huskies pushed on. With five minutes gone in the second half, senior forward Mikenna McManus set up for a corner kick on the left side and delivered a hanging cross into the box. NU’s aerial specialist, sophomore midfielder Alexis Legowski beat a charging Shoyen to the ball and knocked the ball just past the onlooking defenders and into the goal to tie the game.

Once the goals started coming for the Huskies, they didn’t stop. 

At the 75-minute mark, McManus notched another assist on freshman forward Rose Kaefer’s first career goal to give NU the lead with 15 minutes left to play. NU again caught Schoyen out of position as McManus tapped a header past the leaping goalkeeper to Kaefer who beat her mark and drove it home. 

Two minutes later Adams got her first career assist on a goal by Domond, who fired the ball near side past a diving Schoyen.

Facing a second-half deficit in a must-win game, the Huskies got it, securing the coveted second spot in the CAA North tournament. 

Head coach Ashley Phillips was proud of the change she saw after halftime.

“They turned it around and came out a different team in the second half, putting away their chances,” Phillips said. “They gave us a solid win which was great to celebrate with our seniors.”

The next game for NU will not be until April 15, where they will play the projected CAA North winner, Hofstra, in the CAA tournament semifinal game.