The Northeastern women’s soccer team (0-4-3) fought hard in a competitive 0-0 tie against the Bryant Bulldogs (2-4-3) Sept. 15. After a back-and-forth game, the teams finished with almost identical counts of shots and shots on goal — Northeastern notching 10 shots and three on goal, and Bryant tallying nine shots and four on goal. Key saves and strong defensive moments from both sides resulted in a scoreless draw after 90 minutes of tough play.

From the whistle, Northeastern applied high pressure on the Bulldog’s midfield and backline, allowing them to confine play to Bryant’s defensive third. Bryant combatted this with strong defense to hold off Northeastern’s attack. Throughout the game, the Huskies looked to create chances by keeping possession in Bryant’s half, whereas the Bulldogs laid low and attempted to capitalize on breakaways and counterattacks.

In the opening 15 minutes, the Huskies’ defense blocked and deflected multiple shots from Bryant, preventing shots on goal. In the 18th minute, fifth-year midfielder and captain Jessie Hunt took a shot just wide of the post off a ball from senior defender Natalie Olsen. The Bulldogs responded quickly and got their first shot on goal in the 19th minute, but it was skillfully saved by sophomore goalkeeper Eliza Teplow, who has started all games so far this season.

Turnovers were relentless late in the half as both teams grew frustrated with the scoreless board. The Huskies had a few more shots wide and high of the net in the last 10 minutes of the first half, and with six minutes left, Bryant’s sophomore defender Colleen Ardolino went down in the box — then was taken out due to an apparent injury. Bryant had one more near miss off of a corner in the 42nd minute, and with that, the first half concluded.

With five shots each and no goals at halftime, both teams needed to adjust if they wanted to prevail in the next 45. The Huskies sustained stronger possession in the first half with a majority of play occurring in their attacking third, but Bryant was able to exploit the weaknesses of Northeastern’s high line to produce dangerous counterattacks.

As the teams came back on the turf for the second half, Northeastern continued to keep the ball in Bryant’s half with heavy high press. This created gaps in the midfield for Bryant, allowing graduate student midfielder Makayla Griffin to have a dangerous breakaway in the 48th minute. Griffin had the Huskies’ back line on their heels, but Teplow came far off her line to cover and beat the Bulldog to the ball.

Northeastern quickly transitioned back into their attack, and in the 51st minute, a header from freshman forward Noémie Affo connected to a shot from graduate student forward Sofie Fox. The shot was saved by the Bulldog’s sophomore goalkeeper Shannon Mejia, blocking Northeastern’s best chance of the game so far.

A minute later, Bryant countered with a fast-paced breakaway up the right sideline and a shot that was blocked from the net by graduate student defender Addison Davis — immediately scooped up by Teplow. For the rest of the match, Teplow continued to make key saves and come off of her line to intercept through balls from Bryant.

Bryant’s breakaways continued to threaten the 0-0 board, and with nine minutes of play remaining, Bryant had two shots on goal in a 1v1 with Teplow. Teplow dove for the first save but didn’t get a hold on it, and Davis dropped back to deflect the second one, allowing Teplow to pick it up. This was Bryant’s most dangerous attack of the game, but Teplow’s strong goalkeeping and smart positioning kept Northeastern in the game.

Northeastern had its final two opportunities in the last six minutes, with a shot from senior forward Avery LeVangie falling straight into the hands of Mejia, and a shot from graduate student defender Faith Rosenblatt that sailed high. Without either team finding the back of the net, the clock hit zero and the game concluded, 0-0.

The Huskies will look to tally their first win of the season Sept. 19 against Brown (2-2-3) at Parsons Field.