Northeastern field hockey (3-4, 0-0 CAA) emerged triumphant over the Holy Cross Crusaders (3-2, 0-0 Patriot) Sept. 15 in Worcester, Mass. In a 2-1 win, the Huskies fought hard in the final game before league play begins Sept. 20th.
The Huskies started off strong when senior forward Kate Blaisdell landed a shot on goal in the fourth minute of gameplay, but it was blocked by Crusaders freshman goalie Mia McCloskey. While both teams were playing well, the Huskies’ offensive abilities were evident early on. However, the game continued scoreless through the rest of the first quarter and well into the second. The Crusaders kept up with the Huskies’ offense by employing a strong defensive team on the field.
Breaking the scoring dry spell of the game in an act of impeccable teamwork, Northeastern freshman midfielder Olivia Yelen acquired the ball during a turnover, passing it to sophomore forward Alex Mega who delivered the ball to junior forward Emmy Stubbs. Stubbs precisely tipped the ball into the cage, putting the Huskies on the board, 1-0, in the 24th minute of gameplay.
The Crusaders entered the second half stronger, ready to even out the scoreboard. In the 35th minute of play, Holy Cross’ quick teamwork allowed for sophomore forward Marissa MacLean to assist senior forward Meggan Fourie to score the Crusaders’ first and only goal of the game, tying up the score 1-1. Fourie landed a goal straight past Husky senior goalie Kristi Merashoff in the middle of the cage with her quick ballwork coming off MacLean’s assist.
Despite a lack of offensive breakthroughs for the rest of the third quarter, the game remained intense and physical with back-and-forth corner penalties. By the end of this bout, the Huskies notched two corners and the Crusaders added four — but neither team was able to increase their tally on the scoreboard.
In the final few minutes of gameplay, the Huskies picked up their efforts to reclaim the lead. With less than two minutes remaining of regulation, graduate student midfielder Lauren Rowe took a shot from the top of the Crusaders’ circle. While the attempt was saved by goalie McCloskey, Stubbs secured a shot into the cage with her rebound in the 58th minute of the contest.
Stubbs’ two goals in this singular game made her the first Husky this season to score multiple goals in a single contest. Many Huskies put on incredible showings on Sunday on top of Stubbs’ historic feat. Mega totaled four shots on goal, with Rowe, Stubbs and senior midfielder Lara Taylor managing two shots on goal each.
Despite rule-abiding play — without any notable fouls — on both sides of the field, the two goals from Stubbs made all the difference for Northeastern, giving them the edge in this competitive matchup.
As a team, the Huskies put up a total of 15 shots total, nine of them on the goal. The Huskies worked as a well-practiced team against the Crusaders, holding the ball out of their circle with strong defense at most points in gameplay and snuffing Holy Cross of shooting opportunities. The Crusaders only had five shots by the final buzzer, three of them on goal. Merashoff tallied two saves during the contest.
The Huskies will kick off their CAA play against the Drexel Dragons (2-3, 0-0 CAA) in Philadelphia Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.
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