Northeastern women’s soccer (1-5-3, 0-2 CAA) lost to the College of Charleston Cougars (6-3-1, 2-0 CAA) 2-1 in its alumni game and second CAA match Sept. 21. After an early lead for the Huskies, the Cougars capitalized on two corner kicks to clinch the win. 

Charleston kicked off with high pressure on Northeastern’s defense, passing quickly and moving the ball well to keep the play in its attacking half. The Huskies intercepted at key moments to prevent shots on goal but struggled to connect forward and move into their offensive third.

In the third minute, senior midfielder Avery Nassetta took the first shot of the game for Charleston, which she sent toward the bottom center of the net, but junior goalkeeper and captain Eliza Teplow made the save. Three minutes later, junior forward Bella Antonio sent a shot in from the top of the box that slid safely wide of the right post. 

The Huskies found their footing in the eighth minute and started to move into the Cougars’ defensive half. Senior midfielder and captain Lauren Dupont took the first shot of the game for Northeastern, finding the hands of sophomore goalkeeper Ainsley Chunn. Charleston countered immediately in the following minute with a dangerous shot from senior midfielder Bubbles Dever toward the bottom left of the net, prevented by a diving save from Teplow. 

In the 13th minute, freshman midfielder Olivia Penn had a speedy breakaway off of a ball from graduate student forward Bridget Gleason, dribbling forward and placing a beautiful shot into the upper left corner to put the Huskies up 1-0. This was Penn’s first collegiate career goal.

With a boost of momentum following the goal, Northeastern continued to push forward and threaten Charleston’s back line. The Cougars, who dominated possession in the first 10 minutes, found themselves on their heels more as the half progressed.

With 20 minutes remaining in the half, the Cougars started to improve their organization as they searched for an equalizer. They possessed the ball in Northeastern’s half and stayed composed in their attack. Northeastern sat back in a tight defensive shape to preserve its lead but quickly fell to the pressure.

In the 28th minute, Antonio played another short corner to redshirt sophomore forward Caroline Fowlkes, who placed it into the box once again to find Nassetta, who then volleyed the ball past Teplow to tie the game 1-1.

With three minutes left in the half, the Cougars took a long throw from deep on the right sideline, which flew over the heads in the box into Teplow’s hands. Sophomore midfielder Sienna Petro followed with a shot in the bottom center of the net, which was scooped up again by Teplow. With these final looks on goal, the clock timed out and the teams entered halftime at a draw.

The second half began with intensity with both teams vying for the lead. Senior forward Emma Wennar took the first shot of the half for the Cougars in the 48th minute, which soared over the crossbar for a goal kick. 

In the 54th minute, a foul on senior forward and captain Maggie Cochran earned the Huskies a free kick. Sophomore forward Lughano Nyondo directed the kick on goal, hitting it hard toward the top center, but Chunn tapped it out over the crossbar. Nyondo took the resulting corner, which bounced around in the box but was ultimately cleared out by Charleston’s defense.

Charleston kept the pressure on, and in the 65th minute, a corner from Petro found the feet of redshirt sophomore defender Emma Stankunas. She redirected the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to earn the Cougars a 2-1 lead. 

Charleston kept its energy high following Stankunas’ goal, and Northeastern struggled to break through the midfield to create attacking opportunities. Play was kept primarily in the Huskies’ defensive third, and Charleston possessed strategically to wind down the clock.

In the 80th minute, Fowlkes took a shot from outside the box aimed just under the crossbar, which was hit over the frame by Teplow. Stankunas followed a minute later with a shot on the bottom center of the net, which Teplow also saved. 

In the 82nd minute, freshman defender Ava Gialanella took a free kick for the Huskies, finding senior forward Lauren Ahles charging on net to tap it past Chann. Northeastern began to celebrate, but the play was quickly called offside. Nyondo followed up with a dangerous shot from the left side of the box, which sailed across the net to go out for a goal kick. 

The Huskies found a surge of energy in the final five minutes of the game, sending dangerous through balls and moving their line higher to try for the last-minute equalizer. However, this left gaps in the midfield and back line that Charleston was able to capitalize on as it defended its lead.

With three minutes left, the Cougars almost scored a third off a breakthrough from Dever, who passed it wide to Wennar for the shot but just missed the upper right corner of the net.

In the final minute of the match, Charleston kept the ball on the sidelines and drained the clock, ending the game in a 2-1 loss for Northeastern. 

The Huskies will face the Drexel Dragons (2-2-7, 1-0-1 CAA) Sept. 28 for their third match of the CAA season.