Northeastern women’s soccer (2-6-5, 1-3-2 CAA) beat the Stony Brook Seawolves (9-4-1, 4-2 CAA) 1-0 for the team’s first CAA win Sunday, Oct. 12. This victory marked the team’s final home game of the season, and it was Stony Brook’s second league loss.

The Seawolves started the game by dropping a pass back for a long ball forward and pushing into Northeastern’s half. Senior midfielder Linn Beck took the first shot of the game for Stony Brook in the second minute, which sailed high toward the center of the net but was tapped over the crossbar by junior goalkeeper and captain Eliza Teplow for a corner. The corner bounced around the box until graduate student forward Reilly Rich took a shot wide of the post, sending the ball out for a goal kick.

The Seawolves kept up their high pressure on the Huskies’ backline for the following minutes, but the defense remained solid, clearing back-to-back balls out on the sidelines and holding its shape to fend off Stony Brook’s attack.

In the 10th minute, senior defender Sammy Hannwacker took a corner for the Seawolves, which was headed up by Northeastern’s defense and punched out by Teplow. A minute later, a long ball flew toward freshman midfielder Olivia Penn for a near breakaway, but she could not get a touch on it, and the ball slid past her into the feet of junior goalkeeper Jona Hennings.

Two minutes later, Stony Brook sent a free kick into the middle of the box to find Rich, who headed the ball toward the bottom right of the net. Teplow dove low to save it. Rich knocked another header toward the net a minute later, but it went off frame and Teplow grabbed it once again. 

Possession remained in the Seawolves’ attacking third as the first half continued. The Huskies struggled to possess long enough to build forward, and had yet to find their first shot of the game. 

By the midpoint of the first half, the Seawolves were closing in incessantly on the Huskies’ defense. Stony Brook remained composed in its possession as Northeastern frantically tried to clear the ball and prevent shots on goal. 

Finally pushing into the attacking third in the 27th minute, sophomore forward Lughano Nyondo was substituted in and quickly found the first shot of the game from the right of the box for the Huskies. 

A minute later, senior defender Sabrina Araujo-Elorza drove down the left sideline and sent a cross into the center of the box, finding freshman defender Nicole Bartlett, who tapped it over Hennings’ reach into the top left corner of the net. The ball skimmed the bottom of the crossbar and bounced down behind the line to put the Huskies up 1-0. 

Generating and executing on offensive opportunities has been an area of weakness for Northeastern this season. However, the team has managed to score early goals in the last two games.

“A lot of times we are kicking ourselves because we were waiting for the perfect goal, but just get balls in the box and get people in there and get chances,” said head coach Ashley Phillips. “When they do that, we find success.”

Northeastern upped its attacking energy following the goal. The Huskies received a free kick in the 31st minute off of a rough tackle from junior defender Emanuelly Ferreira. Ferreira received a yellow card. Freshman defender Ava Gialanella sent the free kick into the box but it ricocheted out the left sideline. 

With six minutes remaining in the half, Nyondo combined well with senior forward and captain Maggie Cochran on the left sideline to move the ball forward. The ball deflected back into freshman midfielder Hayden Sumner, who found Nyondo at the top of the box, but the Seawolves cleared it away.

Three minutes later, a midfield breakaway from Bartlett and Nyondo continued the attacking spark for the Huskies, but the ball rolled too far and Hennings received it. The half ended 1-0 Northeastern.

At the beginning of the second half, Northeastern drove the ball forward into Stony Brook’s backline. Leading by only a single goal, the Huskies were looking to balance protecting their net with pushing forward to look for a second.

In the 48th minute, Gialanella took a free kick from the center of the field, which landed in the middle of the box for two Huskies to contest Hennings for a touch. The ball was cleared out. A minute later, the Seawolves responded on a free kick from freshman defender Abigail Roche, which went into the box for a header and was caught by Teplow. 

In the 50th minute, another free kick from Gialanella sailed into a shuffle of players waiting at the top of the box, but Stony Brook cleared it out. The Seawolves then countered quickly, bringing the ball into Northeastern’s box and switching fields in search of an opening. Northeastern cleared it forward momentarily, but the Seawolves came charging back and earned themselves a corner a minute later. Hannwacker took the corner, sending a high arching ball into the box, but it was cleared by Nyondo.

In the 60th minute, sophomore midfielder Giulia Karrow committed a foul on Beck right outside of Northeastern’s box, granting the Seawolves a dangerous free kick. Northeastern set up a wall, but senior forward Hannah Maracina sent the kick over both the wall and the crossbar.

Maracina then sent another cross into the box, finding Beck near the goal, who then took a shot toward the bottom right. Teplow positioned herself well to block the shot and repossess for the Huskies.

In the 68th minute, the Huskies found another groove in their offense, moving into their attacking third after locking down on defense. Dupont hit a high shot that soared just over the crossbar and went out for a goal kick. 

As tension increased, a yellow card was shown to the Stony Brook bench in the 74th minute. 

The Seawolves earned a free kick a minute later, but it was cleared by Northeastern. As the clock ticked on, Stony Brook became increasingly frantic for an equalizer. They played with speed and urgency as the Huskies looked to slow down the game and sit back in a tight defensive shape.

In the 82nd minute, Cochran spun around the final defender for a breakaway toward the goal. Sophomore defender Eva Sprewell committed a strategic foul to prevent Cochran from going one-on-one with Hennings and received a yellow card. 

With five minutes left, Roche took a free kick that deflected dangerously near the net, but it was cleared out on the right sideline. Two minutes later, Roche sent in another free kick, putting the ball directly on goal in the upper right corner. Teplow jumped to catch it.

In the final moments of the match, the Huskies strategically cleared the ball long and toward the sidelines to wind down the clock and protect their lead. Energy was high as the Huskies’ first CAA win of the season inched closer. 

In the final minute of the game, a yellow card was issued to junior defender Catrina Herman for unsporting behavior. The Huskies held their defense tight for the remaining seconds and celebrated this season’s first league win as the ball flew out for a goal kick to end the game 1-0.

The Seawolves finished with 15 shots, while the Huskies finished with three. However, Northeastern followed through in key moments and played strong defense to come out on top.

With only three games remaining and a spot in playoffs still within reach, Phillips is hoping that this game will be a turning point for Northeastern. After a long streak of ties and losses, the team will look to keep up the momentum as it hits the road for the final three games of the season.

“We’ve told them this all season: Anyone can win on any given day, so we have to go in there expecting to have that belief in ourselves and that confidence to go get points on the road,” said Phillips.

The Huskies will travel to take on William & Mary (4-6-4, 2-2-2 CAA) Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.