Northeastern field hockey (5-6, 1-1 CAA) concluded their homestand on a strong note against William & Mary (0-11, 0-2 CAA) Oct. 4, delivering a 4-1 win against the Tribe at Dedham Field. This victory marked the Huskies’ first conference win of the season, propelled by graduate student midfielder Lauren Rowe, whose impressive performance led the team to victory.

While the first quarter remained scoreless, it was far from lacking action. William & Mary landed a corner penalty in the sixth minute, allowing junior midfielder Emme Schwartz to take a shot. In her typical swift fashion, Huskies’ senior goalkeeper Kristi Merashoff was able to block the shot, tallying her first save of the game.

Soon after this, the field saw many substitutions for both teams, a trend that would continue throughout the game. During the first half of this quarter, the gameplay was very competitive and saw regular changes in possession. Towards the end of the first quarter, the Huskies’ offense commanded possession of the ball, which they maintained for the majority of the quarter.

Northeastern earned a corner penalty during the 10th minute, resulting in a play between graduate student midfielder Caroline Sweeney and Rowe. Rowe took a shot on the cage, but it was blocked by the Tribe’s graduate student goalkeeper Maddie George. In the following minutes, senior midfielder Lara Taylor and sophomore forward Alex Mega both managed shots on goal, but they were also blocked by George.

At the end of the first quarter, the score remained at a standstill of 0-0.

The Huskies entered the second quarter ready to tally some goals. In the 18th minute of play, Rowe managed to get a shot on goal, but it was blocked by George. Before George could fully bounce back from Rowe’s goal attempt, Taylor was able to skillfully deliver the ball to the back of the cage and score, putting the Huskies up 1-0. 

The second quarter continued with both teams regularly substituting players. Northeastern managed to maintain possession of the ball for most of this quarter and allowed the Tribe no shots on their goal.

In the 28th minute of play, Sweeney earned a corner penalty for Northeastern. Sweeny, alongside senior midfielder Maria Armaganian strung together a series of passes to deliver the ball to Rowe. Rowe then sent the ball into the bottom right corner of the cage, scoring the second goal of the quarter for the Huskies.

William & Mary was unable to penetrate Northeastern’s defense as the clock ticked down, leaving the Huskies with a 2-0 lead at the half..

Entering the third quarter, the Tribe was ready to fight to add points to the scoreboard. In the 30th minute of play, the Tribe acquired possession in the face-off and freshman defender Darcy Hopkins landed a shot, but it was wide. 

From that point on, the Huskies dominated offensively, spending the majority of the quarter within the circle. In the 31st minute, the Huskies earned two corner penalties within 12 seconds. In both plays, Sweeney brought the ball into play and Rowe managed two shots on goal, both of which were blocked. In the 35th minute, the Huskies earned yet another corner, Sweeney once again bringing in the ball. This one resulted in no direct shot, but senior forward India Cotter masterfully kept the ball in play in the circle after the failed corner. Assisted by Cotter and Rowe’s passing, senior midfielder Lilly Smith landed a shot straight to the back of the cage. The Huskies comfortably led the game with a 3-0 score. 

The Tribe was making significantly more player substitutions, searching for the perfect fit to take on the Northeastern’s powerful offense. But the Huskies held the ball on their offensive half of the field for nearly the entire rest of the quarter.

Within a minute of the fourth quarter beginning, the Huskies earned a corner penalty. This resulted in no shots. In the following turnover, the Tribe found their offensive opening. Graduate student forward Mollie Schuma quickly drove the ball up the left wing of the field before transferring it to junior midfielder Erin Griffin in the center of the circle. Griffin managed a shot that cleared Merashoff, scoring the Tribe’s first goal of the game in the 45th minute and narrowing the gap to 3-1. 

While the Tribe made diligent work with the turnover, the Huskies continued to dominate the field offensively. In the 46th and 47th minutes, the Huskies earned two corner penalties, but neither produced goals. 

In the 52nd minute of gameplay, graduate midfielder Mak Graves landed the Huskies their fourth and final goal. Originally, Mega had shot the ball into the cage, but it was deflected by the goalkeeper’s kneepad. The ball was left on the field in prime position for Graves to enter and calmly deliver it into the cage. 

By the final buzzer, the Huskies emerged with a 4-1 win.

Northeastern recorded impressive statistics against the Tribe. Of their 14 shots, 13 of them were on goal and earned 10 corner penalties. Rowe stood out this game with five shots on goal and one successful goal. Taylor had three shots on goal with one goal; Graves managed one shot on goal, one goal and one assist; Smith had two shots on goal and one goal and Armaganian boasted one assist. Merashoff played all 60 minutes of gameplay and tallied one save.

The Huskies continued their win streak with a 3-2 victory over University of New Hampshire (5-7, 2-0 CAA) Oct. 6. The team will return to Dedham Field Oct. 11 at 3 p.m., facing Towson University (5-6, 1-2 CAA).