A three-goal outburst in the second half helped the women’s soccer team down the Bryant Bulldogs 3-1 at Parsons Field Sunday afternoon.
“I think Bryant is a little different than most of the teams we’ve played,” said head coach Ed Matz. “They are a low-pressure team, they commit a lot of defenders back behind the ball.”
The Bulldogs (1-6-1) got on the board first when freshman defender Kalie Whitehouse scored her first goal of the year at the 36:40 mark, lofting a long shot that sailed over the head of Northeastern junior goalie Sarah Fylak.
“[Bryant’s] goal was a very long goal, almost 35 yards,” Matz said. “It was almost a fluke goal.”
Fylak, who missed all of last year due to a back injury, was starting her first game of the year because freshman goalie Stephanie Gordon injured her thumb in practice.
“Sarah’s been working hard,” Matz said. “She was a little nervous, and that might have attributed to the first goal.”
Matz said they originally thought Gordon had broken her thumb, but further examination revealed that it was a severe sprain. She is currently day-to-day and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Northeastern (4-3-1) upped its play in the second half, using its speed to create scoring chances in the Bulldog zone.
“We started using our speed more,” Matz said. “We had a distinct speed advantage and we started to use it.”
Freshman forward Veronica Napoli was the catalyst for the Husky offense in the second half, scoring a pair of goals to give Northeastern the lead.
On her first goal, junior forward Liza Rebello’s shot caromed off the goalpost and Napoli buried the loose ball past Bulldog senior goalie Jessica Clark at the 49:14 mark.
Northeastern’s superior speed became apparent when Napoli turned up field and waltzed her way past defenders to bury her third goal of the season at the 76:36 mark.
The tally marked her first game-winning goal of the year and was her third overall. It moved her one behind Rebello, who has four, for the team lead in goals.
The Huskies added an insurance goal three minutes later when sophomore defender Lesley Condie took a corner that found its way into the box, where senior defender and co-captain Brenna Matthews was able to dish it off to fellow senior co-captain and midfielder Emilee Ellison, who buried it past Clark.
The Huskies outshot the Bulldogs 11 to 4. Fylak made one save, while Clark and junior Jessica Mitchell combined for six for Bryant.
Northeastern begins conference play when it hosts Drexel (5-3) this Friday at home at 2 p.m. Matz is confident that his team will head well-prepared into Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.
“I think we’re ready for our CAA play. We’ve already matched our win total from last year,” Matz said. “We’ve come from behind to win. We’ve won games in overtime. There’s nothing the CAA can throw at us that we haven’t experienced.”
Matz said the first half of the season has been critical in getting experience for his young team and said winning home games would be crucial for his squad.
“We’re a young team, we’ve gotten a lot of good experience [over the first half of the season],” he said. “In the CAA, there’s such parity that winning home games is key. We’ve got to do that.”
