Football A pair of teams still searching for their first victories in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) will face off Saturday at Parsons Field, as the Huskies (1-6, 0-4) look to break a four-game skid in their game against the Maine Black Bears (1-6, 0-4) at Homecoming.
Picked to finish third in the CAA preseason poll, Maine has instead fallen into a even bigger funk than NU has had to deal with. With no wins since their season-opening victory against Monmouth, the Black Bears come to Boston after a narrow loss to Stony Brook in double overtime last week, 30-23.
With both teams looking for a breakthrough win, Northeastern sophomore kicker Mat Johnson said everyone will be hungry Saturday.
“Both teams will be energized to play, I think,” he said. “Especially us, since we’ve played some really close games in the past few weekends. … [Homecoming] adds a little more pressure, but it’s just another game and you have to focus on that.”
Maine’s offense is led by tailback Jhamal Fluellen, who averages 106.7 yards per game and went for 129 yards against the Seawolves last week. Meanwhile, quarterback Adam Farkes (651 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT) had good protection as his offensive line ranks fourth nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (.71).
Defensively, the Black Bears have had trouble stopping teams, giving up averages of 29 points and 375 yards per contest. But they boast linebacker John Wormuth, who ranks second in the league with an average of 10.3 tackles a game. He has recorded at least 12 stops in each of their last three games.
The last time these teams met was Nov. 4, 2006, when Northeastern lost on the road, 30-3. But Saturday could bring good things for NU. The last time the Huskies defeated Maine was in 2003 – on Homecoming Weekend.
– Chris Estrada, News Staff
Women’s Soccer Coming off a huge 1-0 upset of top-ranked James Madison University, the women’s soccer team will look to keep the momentum in its favor during its Homecoming match against Delaware at Parsons Field Friday at 6 p.m.
At 3-9-3 overall, 1-4-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and ranked last in the conference, the Huskies hope to end their injury-stricken season on a high note. After the two games this weekend, the team has only one match left before finishing up the 2007-08 season.
Northeastern has managed five goals in 15 games and is 1-5-1 lifetime against Delaware (7-8-0, 3-5-0 CAA). But the team proved they shouldn’t be taken lightly after Sunday’s jaw-dropping victory.
“I’d like to be known, as a team, that maybe our luck isn’t going our way, but we still battle every second of the game,” said senior captain Laura Johnson after the win.
Freshman defender Tinna Nielson earned the CAA Rookie of the Week title after her performance in Sunday’s upset. Nielson shut down the JMU offense, allowing only nine shots on goal and cementing the Huskies one goal victory.
Head coach Ed Matz said the Huskies always make good use of home advantage at Parsons Field, the only field in the conference painted with football lines. Despite the team’s record, they posted a 1-3-2 record on at home this season.
“A lot of teams psyche themselves out the moment they step on here, but we are just able to put forward some very good efforts on our field,” he said.
He added that fan turnout makes a big impact, and those in attendance Friday night should be impressed with the Huskies’ performance.
“We hope we get some students out here and some of the student body out here to help us,” he said. “Really this year, I think people coming to the games, they won’t be disappointed with the effort these girls give.”
After the Homecoming match, the Huskies hit the road to take on Drexel at 1 p.m. Sunday. In the team’s seven meetings all-time, the Huskies have a 2-1-4 record against the co-op rival. Last year, the game went in Northeastern’s favor, topping Drexel 1-0.
The team’s last game of the season is Nov. 1 against Hofstra. The Huskies will close out their rollercoaster season on home turf, at Parsons Field at 3:30 p.m. Hofstra has the edge in the all-time meetings between the teams, holding a 6-1-1 advantage over the Huskies. – Maggie Cassidy, News Staff
Cross Country Pack running and strong finishes are the Huskies’ hopes for this season’s cross country Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, held tomorrow in Hampstead, NY.
Cross country coach and coordinator Renny Waldren said both the men’s and women’s teams will face some of the strongest competition in the country, including the meet favorite William and Mary, whose men’s side won the CAA Championships last year.
Northeastern’s men, who placed ninth at the race last year, are looking to step up from last season. Waldren said the key runners tomorrow will be senior Tom Brown, who is running his last CAA race with high expectations for himself, and freshman Andy Cazeau, who has been showing promise throughout the season.
Likewise, the women’s team will be facing intense neck-and-neck competition, said junior Kristie Gagnon, who sat out at the Quinnipiac Invitational last month due to injury. She said this season brings a whole new mentality because the team is completely different, with several promising freshman ready to compete.
“This is the best team I’ve had,” she said. “We’re hoping to make a big dent on Friday.”
Gagnon also said the women’s team will be running tight with Hofstra, James Madison and Georgia State, whose runners share similar finishing times.
Despite the intense competition, Waldren has confidence in his team, especially after the Albany Invitational last week where several Huskies ran their best times. Also, previously injured runners Gagnon and junior Brittany Moriarty have recovered and are ready to run.
“I’m hoping that they’ll have the best finish possible,” he said. – Cynthia Retamozo, News Staff
Men’s Hockey When the men’s hockey team last hosted Maine at Matthews Arena, it was Greg Cronin’s first season at the helm. The Huskies were in the middle of a very tough 3-24-7 year and they were swept at the hands of the Black Bears by scores of 6-3 and 2-1. When Maine comes to town this weekend for Homecoming, the team will expect much different results.
“We’re hoping to be very, very successful this weekend,” said junior captain Joe Vitale. “It’s not like when I was a freshman. You’d come into these Maine games and [Boston College] games hoping to squeak by with a tie or a win. Now with the caliber of kids we have and everything we’re doing here, it’s more like we go into these weekends with a greater mindset for a win, rather than just hoping.”
The Huskies (1-1), are coming off a weekend in which they garnered two points in the Hockey East standings with an overtime win over Providence and then battled No. 1 North Dakota hard in a 3-0 loss the next night, earning them three votes in the SCHO.com/CSTV Division 1 men’s poll. Meanwhile, Maine swept Atlantic Hockey Conference member Mercyhurst in Orono, and sit at No. 13 in the rankings.
With Homecoming games starting Friday (and this being a night off from the World Series) there will hopefully be an increase in attendance. The team drew just 2,557 for the opener against Providence and 2,784 against national power houses North Dakota. Vitale said he thinks an increase in fan presence would give the team a boost and helps them have a successful weekend.
“Every Homecoming Weekend’s big for the school and the student body and the fan base here at Northeastern,” he said. “So it’s a little more special, and the players obviously come a little more psyched for it. It definitely does help push us toward a win.” – Jonathan Raymond, News Correspondent
Women’s Hockey During Homecoming Weekend 2007, the greatest exhibition of “Husky pride” probably won’t be on display at the football game, the men’s hockey game or even the parade down Huntington Avenue. The chances are it will come at 2 p.m. Saturday at Matthews Arena, when the Northeastern Huskies face-off against the UConn Huskies and draw a large crowd.
Though the two teams mirror one another in name, their respective starts to the 2007 season have been quite different. Connecticut is ranked eighth in the latest poll, and went 5-1 in its first six games, including a win at fifth-ranked St. Lawrence. Meanwhile, after its first five games, Northeastern is still in search of its first win, having managed only a tie against North Dakota.
Saturday’s game will be the Hockey East season opener for both teams. UConn won all three match-ups during the 2006-07 season, but needed overtime to defeat Northeastern 3-2 in their first meeting. – Jared Sugerman, News Correspondent
Men’s Soccer It’s a busy weekend for Northeastern sports full of 2007 Homecoming festivities. The men’s soccer team will be in action both Friday and Sunday against conference opponents.
First up, the Huskies will travel to Newark, Del., to take on the Blue Hens at 7 p.m. Last year the Huskies defeated the Blue Hens 1-0 at Parsons Field and have not lost to Delaware since joining the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Sunday, Northeastern returns home to take on Drexel at 1 p.m. The Dragons are currently 9-2-2 and undefeated (6-0) in CAA play. This match-up is a big one for NU as they try to secure a playoff spot for the second straight year.
The Huskies are currently 5-8 this year and 3-3 in CAA play, putting them in fifth place in the conference.
Sophomore defender Matthew Lanning and sophomore midfielder Alexander Volk each scored a goal last year when these two teams met resulting in a 2-1 victory for the Huskies.
Senior captain Greg Kilkenny currently leads the CAA with seven assists on the season, while senior forward Ahmed Talaat is tied for fourth place in goals with six.
After this weekend, the Huskies will have three games remaining in the schedule, two of them at Parsons Field, where they are 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the CAA. – Andrew Parente, News Correspondent
Field Hockey Homecoming weekend marks the Huskies’ last two games of regular season play. Currently fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with a 3-3 conference play record, Northeastern, 7-10, needs just one win this weekend to keep its season going.
Northeastern enters the weekend after dealing a 7-1 blow to Hofstra Sunday. A hat trick in the game landed sophomore defender Suzanne Hazelze with the CAA Player of the Week title.
The Huskies begin their quest for the post season with a match against James Madison Friday at Sweeney Field at 2 p.m. The Dukes are second in the CAA, 6-1 in conference play with a 14-3 overall record. JMU is coming to Sweeney after splitting games last weekend.
On Sunday, Northeastern takes the field against Virginia Commonwealth, currently last in the CAA with a 5-11 overall record (1-6 CAA). The Rams lost two of their three games last weekend, and will miss out on the CAA tournament this year. – Danielle Ossher, News Staff
