Freshman Sergio Saccoccio saved two penalty shots and freshman Tom Heimreid netted the game-winning penalty kick as the Huskies advance to the second round to meet Boston College on Wednesday.

Lehigh controlled play in an emotionally charged first half that had a playoff atmosphere from the outset. The Mountain Hawks had two great opportunities in the first five minutes, but Saccoccio stopped Lehigh on the doorstep both times. Lehigh continued the pressure throughout the half, keeping Northeastern on its heels by outshooting the Huskies 4-2.

NU's best scoring chance came with a minute to go in the half. Junior Atha Kirkopoulos raced down a long lead pass in the right corner and lofted a cross in front of the net that senior Nate Houghton put a head on. The shot looked to be heading into the back of the net until a Lehigh defender made a defensive save to preserve the scoreless tie.

"I thought that we came out real nervous, with this being our first time in the tournament," said NU head coach Ed Matz. "I told the guys at half that we could play a lot better, we just needed to control our emotions."

Northeastern turned up the intensity coming out of the locker room, taking the momentum the Mountain Hawks. Just three minutes into the half, Kirkopoulos fed junior Bennie Prueske who beat Lehigh goalkeeper Ryan Grzeszczak, only to see his shot hit the post and bounce wide. The Huskies kept the ball in the Lehigh half, outshooting their opponent 6-2. Senior Nate Houghton would finally take advantage, as he gathered the ball in the Lehigh end and dribbled past a defender before blasting a shot top-shelf from 25 yards out to give NU a 1-0 lead at the 57:27 mark. It was Houghton's fifth goal in his last four games and ninth on the year. Houghton almost gave the Huskies a two-goal lead three minutes later, trying to play a Kirkopoulos cross before it hit the ground, but his attempt went wide.

Lehigh tied the game at one with just under 10 minutes left. Senior Evan Bruno, the Patriot League Co-Offensive Player of the Year, sent a nice through ball to junior Steve Fisher who beat Saccoccio. The Mountain Hawks looked to go up by a goal just two minuts later, but the tally was disallowed as they were offsides. Play would stay locked at one and the two teams would head into overtime. Both squads had great scoring threats in the first overtime, as Saccoccio came up big shot after shot, only to see his Husky teamates hit the post for the third time of the game. Two overtime periods would not be enough and the game had to be decided by penalty kicks.

"In all my years of soccer, this was the first time that I had ever gone to penalty kicks," Matz would add. "I thought that after our our goal we relaxed a little bit too much and that let Lehigh get right back in it."

Lehigh won the coin toss and chose to kick first. It marked the third straight game decided by penalty kicks for the Mountain Hawks. Both teams made four of their first five shots and play advanced to sudden-victory alternating shots. Saccoccio and Grzeszczak both made saves, and then each team scored on its next two opportunities. Saccoccio then stopped sophomore Brandon Smith, setting the stage for Heimreid. With the match on the line, Heimreid stepped up and booted one to Grzeszczak's right that found nothing but the back of the net, giving NU its first-ever NCAA victory. The Huskies will now play Boston College on Wednesday at 1 p.m. as they advance to the round of 32. The win was NU's ninth in its last 10 matches, as it improves its record in overtime to 5-1-2.

"I was really happy with our guys effort tonight and the way they kept their composure after the half," Matz said after the game. "It was a great win, but we don't have a lot of time to celebrate. BC is a great team and our preparation begins now."

Scoring
1st Half:
No scoring

2nd Half:
NU - Nate Houghton (unassisted), 57:27
Lehigh - Steve Fisher (Evan Bruno), 80:19

Penalty kicks:
Lehigh - Dan Perciballi (good) 1-0
NU - Atha Kirkopoulos (good) 1-1
Lehigh - Doug Cusick (good) 2-1
NU - Nate Houghton (good) 2-2
Lehigh - Wes Roach (missed high) 2-2
NU - Bennie Prueske (good) 3-2
Lehigh - Keith Ritchings (good) 3-3
NU - David Downing (good) 4-3
Lehigh - Evan Bruno (good) 4-4
NU - Jochen Beck (save Grzeszczak) 4-4
Lehigh - Manbaj Gill (save Saccoccio) 4-4
NU - Joe Parrish (save Grzeszczak) 4-4
Lehigh - Ben Gucciardi (good) 5-4
NU - Oumar Thiam (good) 5-5
Lehigh - James Lawler (good) 6-5
NU - Andrew Hickey (good) 6-6
Lehigh - Brandon Smith (save Saccoccio) 6-6
NU - Tom Heimreid (good) 7-6, NU wins

Shots
Northeastern, 11
Lehigh, 7

Corners
Northeastern, 6
Lehigh, 4

Offsides
Northeastern, 2
Lehigh, 7

Fouls
Northeastern, 12
Lehigh, 7

Saves
Northeastern, Sergio Saccoccio 4
Lehigh, Ryan Grzeszczak 6