Northeastern women’s soccer tallied a frustrating, evenly matched 1-1 draw against the Holy Cross Crusaders Aug. 17. Following a weather-related cancellation of their opener against the Boston University Terriers Aug. 14, this match marked the Huskies’ first game of the 2025 season.

Northeastern’s 2024 season saw a lot of low-scoring tie games — a pattern the team was looking to get out of. However, the Huskies have plenty of time to turn things around and prepare for their CAA league matches beginning on Sept. 18 against the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks.

Sophomore forward Lughano Nyondo took the first shot of the game for Northeastern in the fourth minute, dribbling around two defenders to get a shot off, which ultimately went wide. A minute later, freshman midfielder Olivia Penn had a promising ball into the box from the left sideline, which deflected into the side of the net. Northeastern then had two consecutive corners that bounced around the box, but neither were converted before Holy Cross cleared the ball toward the center line.

In the ninth minute, junior forward Karenna Beckstein had a breakaway through the midfield, cutting through Northeastern’s defense to get the first shot on goal of the game for the Crusaders. Junior goalkeeper and captain Eliza Teplow knocked it away for a corner. Freshman midfielder Alessia Cerulo took the corner for the Crusaders, but after the ball bounced around the box, a Holy Cross foul ended the play and Northeastern was granted a free kick.

The ball moved quickly between halves throughout the first fifteen minutes, with quick changes in possession as neither team was able to form longer connecting sequences.

Holy Cross had another corner from graduate student midfielder Sam Halligan in the 13th minute, which ricocheted dangerously around the box before being picked up again by Teplow. Northeastern quickly countered with a ball overhead to senior forward Maggie Cochran for a one-on-one on goal, but freshman goalkeeper Aubrey Haesche got there first to boot it out. A minute later, sophomore forward Claire Murray took a shot toward the goal from the right side, which went out for another corner, leading to a shot on goal for Cochran. Haesche picked off this shot as well, putting an end to Northeastern’s attack. 

In the 20th minute, Halligan took a corner for Holy Cross, which sailed towards the box but was headed wide and deflected for a second corner. Halligan sent yet another ball into the box, which was quickly cleared again by Northeastern.

Freshman defender Ava Gialanella took a free kick from half in the 25th minute, which launched toward Cochran at the top of the box but was snagged by Haesche before Cochran could get a touch. Three minutes later, the Crusaders fired in another corner from senior forward Riley Grable, which flew over the players in the box to go out across the field for a throw-in. 

In the 31st minute, junior midfielder Juliana Garcia dribbled through the midfield to take a shot from outside the box, which sailed toward the top of the net but was picked off by Haesche. After six minutes of back and forth play, Grable put another strike up for Holy Cross, which went just wide of the goal post. Holy Cross continued to keep the ball in Northeastern’s defensive third as the half finished up, creating threatening opportunities around the box.

With two minutes left in the half, Haesche came up to take a free kick from midfield, which reached the top of the box but was defended by the Huskies and cleared back to half field. Holy Cross won possession back in the midfield, allowing another dangerous shot from Grable that was punched out by  Teplow. Sophomore midfielder Keilly Quezada followed with a volley into the back of the net, putting Holy Cross up 1-0 heading into halftime.

Set pieces provided the most dangerous opportunities for both teams throughout the half, a trend that continued in the second 45 minutes. There were multiple fouls from both sides that created opportunities off of free kicks, and the most promising chances across the board came from corners. The Crusaders finished the game with 14 fouls, and the Huskies had six.

As the second half kicked off, possession continued to change rapidly, with long passes from both sides and many bouncing balls in the midfield. In the 47th minute, the Crusaders sent a ball cutting through the Huskies’ backline to junior forward Charlotte Hanchar, who crossed it toward the back post in a close call for Northeastern. 

A minute later, the Huskies recovered quickly with junior defender Maddie Aughe sending a ball forward to Nyondo, who tapped it to Murray. Murray placed a high shot right over Haesche to tie the game at 1-1.

Holy Cross tried to respond in the 51st minute with a corner from Halligan, but it was punched out by Teplow and cleared up the sideline. Cochran then had a promising look from wide, but her shot struck just over the crossbar.

In the 59th minute, Nyondo took a shot that was deflected toward freshman midfielder Hayden Sumner, and Sumner placed it toward the upper right corner of the net. Haesche stepped in with a diving save to keep the game at a draw. 

Four minutes later, Northeastern won a free kick near the Crusaders’ box, and Nyondo hit a powerful shot on goal. The ball sailed toward center net, but right into the hands of Haesche for an easy save. Holy Cross sped into a dangerous counterattack, and Grable crossed the ball into the box. Halligan caught the end of it but was quickly dispossessed by graduate student forward Bridget Gleason.

In the 65th minute, Murray collided with Beckstein and received a yellow card for the hard tackle, granting a free kick to the Crusaders. The kick was taken by Halligan, who sent the ball to the top of the box, which was then volleyed out of the Huskies’ defensive third. Northeastern counterattacked with a ball forward for Nyondo, who found Murray wide for a pass into the box. Holy Cross defended and ultimately prevented a shot for the Huskies.

Two minutes later, Cerulo took a corner for Holy Cross, which was punched out by Teplow for a corner from the opposite side. Cerulo sent the ball in again for a header from sophomore defender Caroline Bierfeldt, which went just over the crossbar. A third corner was won a minute later, which Cerulo hit toward the net and Teplow punched out once again.

In the 71st minute, junior defender Sofia Scalise shot a ball across to Hanchar, which ricocheted in the box and was saved on the ground by Teplow. A minute later, senior midfielder Lauren Dupont took a corner for the Huskies that went high into the box, hitting the crossbar and going out for a second corner. The second corner was also taken by Dupont, which was knocked out by Holy Cross and then sent back on the ground into the hands of Haesche.

In the last ten minutes, play grew more frantic as both teams searched for the winning goal. The Huskies had a few unsuccessful opportunities in their attacking third, and Holy Cross had some threatening moments in Northeastern’s box. The Crusaders had multiple corners in the final minutes, creating dangerous chances but failing to score.

Neither team managed to find the net again, and the final whistle blew for a 1-1 tie. 

The Huskies will face the University of Rhode Island Rams at Parsons Field Aug. 21.