The Northeastern men’s soccer team (1-4-3, 0-3 CAA) fell to William & Mary (3-4-0, 1-1 CAA) on Sept. 21, 2-0.
The Huskies, still seeking their first conference victory, struggled to capitalize on goal scoring opportunities. They had many chances to score, but the ball never found the back of the net.
Northeastern’s first chance at the goal came in the seventh minute off the foot of senior forward Ethan Franco. Franco capitalized on a poor touch by William & Mary’s defense and took a touch around sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Eapen, but his shot was deflected out of bounds by junior defender Bryce Smith.
In the ninth minute, a thumping header from freshman defender Ethan Leary resulted in Eapen’s first save of the game. Just seconds later, junior midfielder Kade Tepe’s shot from inside the 18-yard box looked promising before it was deflected by a Tribe defender, keeping the match deadlocked at 0-0.
For the next 21 minutes, the match was back-and-forth, with neither team creating any quality goal scoring opportunities.
In the 40th minute, junior midfielder Morris Matthews won a foul, resulting in a yellow card for William & Mary’s sophomore midfielder Alexandros Katsari-Hoefer. Senior forward Sebastian Restrepo’s free-kick cleared the wall, but was saved easily by Eapen.
When the half-time whistle was blown, the match remained scoreless
In the 46th minute, William & Mary’s sophomore defender Evan Rabush crossed the ball into the box towards the waiting hands of graduate goalkeeper Colby Hegarty. Unable to maintain control of the ball, Hegarty dropped the ball and went to ground in an attempt to regain possession. However, junior midfielder Webb Kosich was there to collect the ball, taking a touch around Hegarty and slotting the ball into the back of the net to put the Tribe up 1-0.
Continuing to build momentum, William & Mary was back on the attack in the 53rd minute. Freshman forward Tre Barrett played a through ball to sophomore midfielder Aidan Morrison, who was able to slip past the Northeastern defense. After tracking back, Leary’s defensive slide tackle prevented the Huskies from going down 2-0.
The Tribe continued to put pressure on the Huskies with Rabush’s 59th-minute shot, forcing a diving save out of Hegarty.
Northeastern’s best scoring chance came from a breakaway by graduate forward Kevin Ogudugu. The Husky received a through ball from junior forward Fraser Brown, but narrowly missed his shot wide left.
Continued offensive pressure left Northeastern defenders on their heels when William & Mary launched a counterattack in the 71st minute. Rabush’s cross landed on the head of junior forward Sam Delgado, who had slipped past the Huskies’ back line. The ball bounced past Hegarty, putting the Tribe up 2-0 in the 72nd minute.
Northeastern’s final threatening offensive attempt came from Restrepo. His shot from outside the 18-yard box caused Eapen to bobble the ball, but he was able to maintain control and keep the ball out of his net.
Frustration was visible in the play of the Huskies in the closing minutes of the game. Leary was assessed a yellow card following a foul to stop another Tribe breakaway in the 87th minute. Sophomore defender Matthias Hille was issued a yellow card for an over-the-back header.
The whistle blew at 90 minutes, signaling another missed opportunity for the Huskies’ first CAA victory. Northeastern looks to bounce back in a non-conference contest against UMass Lowell on Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.
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