The Northeastern women’s soccer team (8-3-5, 6-1-4 CAA) declawed the Towson Tigers (12-2-2, 8-1-2 CAA) Sunday afternoon, clinching a spot in the CAA Championship for their 13th straight season. Graduate student goalkeeper Holland Stam, named CAA defensive player for the second week in row, earned the Huskies their third consecutive shutout victory. Finishing 1-0, Northeastern forced the Tigers to their first conference loss this season.
Northeastern started the game off strong, quickly creating scoring opportunities in the box and earning a free kick just two minutes into the game. Sophomore forward Vivian Akyriem kicked the ball into the box as fifth-year midfielder Alexis Legowski jumped for the header, but the shot was blocked by a Towson defender.
Threatening chances continued for the Huskies as senior midfielder Jessie Hunt took the first corner kick for Northeastern in the fourth minute, which was stopped again by Towson.
The Tigers’ offense also made advancements in the early minutes of the game, with their first corner kick coming in the 11th minute. After the kick was headed away, Towson tried again with another shot that went wide of the goal.
In the 13th minute, the Huskies found the back of the net but a flag denied them the tally. Sophomore forward Maggie Cochran and Akyriem both ran onto the ball trying to reach it after a pass. Akyriem went for it and precisely shot it into the back of the net, but the play was quickly called for offsides.
However, a flag was not enough to slow Akyriem’s motivation. Just two minutes later, Hunt cleanly sent a long pass downfield to Akyriem, who had no defenders ahead of her. One-on-one against Tigers senior goalkeeper Riley Melendez, Akyriem snuck around Melendez and fired the ball into the bottom right of the net, her sixth tally of the year in the 15th minute, breaking the Tigers’ four-game shutout streak.
Northeastern continued gaining opportunities on goal as the half progressed, but was unable to finish the execution. In the 22nd minute, Akyriem delivered a pass to Hunt, who kicked the ball just inches too high as it deflected off the crossbar.
The Tigers continued to settle into the flow of the game as it progressed. They gained their third corner kick of the game in the 26th minute, which went long and was cleared away by the Huskies.
Towson pressed for a response as the half continued, but could not come up with a scoring play.
While The Huskies outscored the Tigers in the first half 1-0, the game was not over yet. The Tigers had come back from a score deficit before this season, with a 2-1 win against Elon Sept. 14, so Northeastern had to focus on its late-game defending through the second half.
Towson held the majority of possession as the second half commenced. Although this allowed the Tigers to pressure the Huskies, momentum stayed with Northeastern. The home crowd cheered on Stam, who had a strong display of assertive goalkeeping throughout the half with three critical saves. In the 60th minute, Tigers senior midfielder Alexandra Rush took a threatening shot on goal. However, Stam acted quickly, flashing out her right leg and blocking the attempt — one of the most crucial saves for Northeastern this season.
A strong offensive and defensive battle waged on as the half continued, both teams struggling to find the back of the net. Everybody was on the edge of their seats in the final minutes; the Tigers desperately made final attempts on goal while the Huskies worked hard to maintain their lead.
The Tigers earned a free kick in the 86th minute, sending every Husky into the box to defend their lead. Bodies tumbled in every direction as the ball was fired into the air and then shot above the goal by Towson.
The anxiety continued as the Tigers earned two corner kicks in the 87th and 89th minute. With less than 30 seconds remaining in the match, Northeastern and Towson brought all ten of their players into the Huskies’ box. With only seconds remaining, Towson fired the ball at the goal as Stam jumped high and claimed it, sealing the Tiger’s fate.
The Huskies mobbed Stam, who managed to shut out Towson 1-0, a team with multi-goal wins in seven of its eight previous games. A crucial CAA victory for Northeastern, the team advanced its record to 8-3-5, 6-1-4 CAA, and secured a spot in the CAA Championships. The Huskies went on to have a scoreless draw against Stony Brook (6-5-6, 4-4-4 CAA) Oct. 19, and the team now prepares for its final matchup of the regular season on Oct. 22 versus William & Mary (8-3-6, 5-3-3 CAA).
