Freshman Gabbi Jatkola and Veronica Napoli helped the Huskies erase the memories of last season’s last-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with a goal apiece in the women’s soccer team’s 2-1 victory at Hofstra Thursday night. The win clinched the sixth and final playoff seed for Northeastern (10-8-1, 6-5 CAA).
“Thursday was a tremendous game,” said head coach Ed Matz. “Hofstra hadn’t been beaten on their home field in over a year and a half.”
The Huskies entered the game needing a win, tie or a Virginia Commonwealth loss to clinch a playoff berth. VCU won 2-1 in overtime at James Madison Thursday, although Matz said his team wasn’t aware of the outcome.
The Pride (10-7-2, 7-3-1 CAA) scored first when forward Carol Leurini headed the ball out of the reach of freshman Stephanie Gordon in the 64th minute.
But 20 minutes later, Jatkola scored her fourth goal of the season to tie the game at one. The midfielder dashed 60 yards up the field, dribbling her way through defenders before ripping a shot from 25 yards out that found its way past Hofstra keeper Krystal Robens.
“We went over some different scenarios if we’re down a goal late in the game,” Matz said. “We put on another striker and took off a defender, and we executed exactly what we did the day before in practice.”
In overtime, Napoli stole the ball from two Pride defenders and broke alone inside the right post, beating Robens and securing the Huskies’ first appearance in the playoffs since 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Old Dominion in the quarterfinals. The loss dropped Hofstra from the second seed to the fifth seed in the tournament.
“The girls did a tremendous job,” Matz said. “To be honest, they just wanted it more than Hofstra.”
The Huskies will take on third-seeded UNC Wilmington (12-6-1, 8-3 CAA) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Wilmington. Northeastern lost 2-1 to UNCW Oct. 19 at Parsons Field.
“We made a lot of mistakes when we played UNCW [last time],” said senior forward Jenna Lucchesi. “We learned from those mistakes and we are working hard to correct them.”
