Northeastern women’s soccer (1-6-5, 0-3-2 CAA) tied the Towson Tigers (3-3-6, 1-1-3 CAA) 1-1 in its fifth of nine league games this season. This game marked the halfway point in their CAA season, and while still in contention for playoffs, the Huskies will need to turn things around as they head into their remaining matches.

“I think we do a lot of good things, and we’re not executing as well as we need to be in the attacking third, and unfortunately giving up late goals,” said head coach Ashley Phillips in a post game interview.

Northeastern kicked off the game with a long ball forward and immediately put pressure on Towson’s back line. The Tigers adjusted quickly to match the pace and had a run down the left sideline with a cross into the box, which was defended by the Huskies.

In the fifth minute, sophomore forward Lughano Nyondo took the first shot of the game for Northeastern, which sailed low toward the bottom right corner of the net but was saved on a dive from redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Teagan Gardner.

Towson kept it in the Huskies’ defensive third for the next few minutes, but Northeastern’s defense kept the Tigers away from the net. In the 12th minute, Towson had a free kick right outside the top of the box, taken by sophomore midfielder Emma Levin. Northeastern set up a wall, but Levin hit past it and into the hands of junior goalkeeper and captain Eliza Teplow. 

Three minutes later, graduate student forward Bridget Gleason had a handball that earned Towson a free kick. Freshman defender Jaelyn White hit it down the left sideline to graduate student forward Kale’a Perry, who dropped it back to Levin, but Levin sent it over her teammates in the box and out for a goal kick. 

In the 17th minute, Perry took a shot that soared toward the upper right corner of the net, which Teplow leaped to punch out for a corner. Perry took the corner, which was headed out for a goal kick. Perry had many fast-paced and dangerous runs down the left sideline throughout the half, knocking threatening crosses into the box for the Tigers. 

As the midpoint of the first half approached, Towson kept strong possession and played primarily in Northeastern’s half. In the 22nd minute, junior midfielder Emely Rubio hit a corner to the far side of the box, and Teplow got a glove on it but couldn’t control it. It was cleared by the Huskies’ defense, but the Tigers kept their line up and possessed around the border of the box. Sophomore midfielder Malin Bernt Schops sprinted to get the ball off of a deflection and faced an open net as Teplow was caught near the opposite post, but tapped it just wide. 

The Huskies recovered a minute later, bringing the ball back into their attacking third. Freshman midfielder Olivia Penn took a shot from distance but sent it over the top of the frame. The Huskies kept their energy up in the attack, and two minutes later, Nyondo sent a ball to senior forward and captain Maggie Cochran, who placed a shot high toward the top right of the net beyond the reach of Gardner to put Northeastern up 1-0.

In the 30th minute, redshirt junior defender Sydney Lindeman played a corner into the box, which was swatted out by Teplow for another corner on the opposite side. The second corner was played short to Perry, who placed a low driven shot right into Teplow’s hands. 

With less than 10 minutes left in the half, Towson played a dangerous aerial ball toward the net, and Teplow collided with graduate student midfielder Emma Kirkpatrick in a one-on-one for the ball. A foul was called on the Tigers, and Teplow cleared the ball back toward half.

Junior midfielder Sophie Thibeault went down with an injury in the 40th minute, stopping play for another few minutes as the half came to a close. When play resumed, Towson put pressure on the Huskies’ back line in the final five minutes, looking for an equalizer before half. Northeastern kept its defensive shape to prevent a shot on goal, and the team headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead. 

The Tigers kicked off the second half, sending the ball back to hold possession and organize. In the 46th minute, Levin sent a through ball to Perry, who slid the ball into the box but had no teammates on the receiving end. Teplow grabbed the ball and sent it forward. 

A minute later, freshman defender Ava Gialanella sent a long free kick from half into the box, which landed and ricocheted between attackers to find Penn for a shot. Penn sent it toward the center of the net into the hands of Gardner.

In the 52nd minute, a foul on Perry by Gleason resulted in a free kick near the top of the box for the Tigers. Rubio drove it hard and central into the gloves of Teplow. A minute later, sophomore midfielder Giulia Karrow committed another foul in the same spot and received a yellow card. Towson hit the free kick out for a goal kick. 

The ball moved back-and-forth throughout the early minutes of the second half, with neither team significantly dominating possession. The Huskies were determined to hold their lead, and Towson was seeking a goal to put itself back into the game. In the 57th minute, Nyondo took on a player in the box and almost got a shot off, but a well-executed slide tackle from the Tigers prevented the opportunity.

In the 68th minute, the Tigers sent a ball into the box and Bernt Schops got her head on it, but Teplow grabbed it to prevent the goal. A minute later, Thibeault had another shot, which Teplow dove to the bottom left to save. Eager for a comeback, the Tigers were finding back-to-back opportunities on goal, leaving Northeastern scrambling to defend. 

As the second half progressed, the Huskies started to play more conservatively, resulting in a tighter backline but fewer attacking opportunities. Towson kept the ball in its attacking half, but Northeastern’s defense prevented the Tigers from getting too close to the goal.

In the final five minutes, the Huskies looked to hold the ball on the sidelines and run down the clock to prevent any risk of a comeback for the Tigers. However, with under three minutes left, Towson sent a free kick into the box, finding Thibeault at the back post, who tapped it into the bottom right of the net to tie the game 1-1.

Kicking off after Towson’s goal, Northeastern sent players forward in search of a last-minute chance to regain their lead. Play was rapid and intense in the final two minutes as both teams were frantic to come out on top. Neither managed to get another shot on goal, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Throughout the season, the Huskies have consistently given up goals and leads off of corners and free kicks, and this game was no exception. 

“We’ve really struggled on set pieces particularly, so trying to get as organized as we can be on those,” Teplow said,  looking ahead to the second half of the CAA season. The team’s press has been very solid, but its defense on set pieces and ability to convert offensively have been critical weaknesses. 

“I think we need to obviously keep our heads up,” Teplow added. “We’ve been playing really well and have not gotten the results that we’ve wanted, but we have to keep building on what we are doing well and try to negate the things that we haven’t been doing well.”

With five games remaining, the Huskies are still fighting to make it to playoffs, but they will need to tally a significant amount of points in the upcoming matches to clinch a spot.

“We’re in a position now where the season is definitely dwindling,” said Phillips. “We’re still in contention, but every week it gets a little slimmer, so I think that adds pressure.”

The Huskies will play their final home game against the Stony Brook Seawolves  (9-3-1, 4-1 CAA) at 1:00 p.m. Oct. 12 at Parsons Field.