Hello new Huskies, and welcome to Northeastern. Here’s hoping that NU gives you the four- er, five- best years of your life.
It is my belief that athletics are an integral part of every student’s college experience, so consider this a guide to life as a Huskies fan. Here’s what you need to know:
First off, Northeastern no longer has a football team- it was eliminated last November. What’s that? You didn’t know NU used to have a football team? That’s okay, neither did most of the students here. NU football existed for 74 seasons and struggled to compete in its later years, but on the bright side, the team will forever more be undefeated.
Under new head coach Tracy Leone, the women’s soccer team looks to make its way back to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament this fall after an early postseason exit last year.
There are plenty of reasons for the Northeastern men’s soccer team to feel optimistic heading into the 2010 season. With a talented recruiting class joining players who notched 23 of the team’s 27 goals from last year, the Huskies feel their time has arrived to win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship and reach the NCAA Tournament.
Just because there isn’t any ice down at Matthews Arena over the summer doesn’t mean the members of the Northeastern men’s hockey team have taken any time off. Eight players participated in various NHL development camps during the summer.
In the convoluted world of college hockey recruiting, not only coaches have to contend with each other, but with semi-professional junior leagues and the NHL's farm system. When college teams make offers to prospective student-athletes, usually all three of these things happen: The recruit must believe that college is the right path, the offer must be agreeable and the recruit must be content to play for a specific university team. Often the decision to commit to a school is final, barring a move out of college hockey altogether.
After an up-and-down 2009 season with two extended winning streaks and two extended losing streaks, the field hockey team is looking to put forth a more consistent effort this season to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.
“Our goal is to win the CAA [Colonial Athletic Association] and be competitive in every game we play,” said Cheryl Murtagh, who is entering her 23rd season as head coach. “We are a year older and the kids have been doing great things in summer leagues this year training towards making a run at the title.”
Former Husky hoop star Matt Janning has put together an impressive two-week campaign in the NBA Summer League, and caught the attention of several professional organizations. The sharpshooter received training camp offers from the Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.
After leading the men’s hockey team with 17 goals in his senior year, forward Kyle Kraemer helped the United States Inline Hockey team to a World Championship in Karlstad, Sweden.
Kraemer netted a pair of goals in the gold-medal game, in which the US beat the Czech Republic team 4-3 on July 4.
Head coach Greg Cronin values his building and the fans that come to fill it. The men’s hockey schedule for the upcoming year was released in June and the 35-game slate includes 18 contests at Matthews Arena this winter.
There are all sorts of reasons to schedule one opponent in place of another. What conference they’re in, where the game will be played and the impact the game will have on Northeastern’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) are all important factors to consider before scheduling a game.
But what Cronin said he cared about most weren’t the opponents. He wanted more games at Matthews and no games over school breaks. He cares about the students. Cronin is trying his best to maximize the home ice advantage that Matthews Arena gives his Huskies.
“You definitely have to be motivated,” former Northeastern shot putter Nate Hunter said. “If you’re not, you’re never going to reach the next level. Sometimes things get frustrating, but you need to be motivated to accomplish the impossible.”
Though not quite as dramatic as pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, we're now in the pre-season training portion of the fall college sports calendar. That's good, because all that World Cup knowledge I've acquired in the past month was starting to scare me. We're less than three months away from a pre-season hockey game and less than four months away from the annual basketball intra-squad scrimmage.
“I think winning the CAA [Colonial Athletic Association] is the minimum accomplishment this season,” senior captain and outside hitter Caitlin Tittl of the volleyball team said. “There are no excuses this year, we have to do it.”
