Game Notes | Drexel: Live Stats | Towson: Live Stats • Live Video on GoNUxstream

BOSTON, Mass. – Northeastern is set to enter the final weekend of regular season play with two crucial CAA contests on the horizon. Friday's bout with No. 23 Drexel plays an important role in which team will host the conference tournament, which will start Nov. 1. Sunday's meeting with Towson could give the Huskies a chance to end the regular season on the right foot.

Last time out
The Huskies split two decisions last weekend, in tense fashion, no less. NU hosted Hofstra on Friday, but had little trouble against the Pride. Northeastern, led by Deirdre Duke's four goals, stomped Hofstra, 7-1, to earn its fourth CAA victory this season.

The following Sunday, NU traveled over to Cambridge to face Boston University for its final nonconference showdown. The 13th-ranked Terriers forced the Huskies into two overtimes, and eventually took advantage of the situation to knock in the game-winning goal in the 4-3 thriller.

Dueling with the Dragons
Drexel (11-6, 3-2 CAA) enters the weekend needing a win just as much as Northeastern does. With a 3-2 conference mark, a win over the Huskies would give the Dragons an edge in hosting the conference tournament.

Drexel's season has been made up of a few streaks, both positively and negatively. The Dragons opened up the season with a 5-0 record, but suffered a three-game losing streak following. Another five-game win streak vaulted them back into the national spotlight, but DU has lost three of their last four games heading into this weekend.

Two upperclassment, Amanda Fleischut and Lindsay McArdle, pave the way for the DU offense, combining for 45 of the team's 94 points (18 of 37 goals) this season. Jantien Gunter has been a rock in the cage for Drexel this year, accumulating 89 saves and a respectable .754 save percentage on the season.

History with Philly's finest
The Dragons and Huskies have squared off 19 times before Friday. NU is looking for its 20th win against DU, owning a 14-4-1 record all-time in the series. The Huskies have won two in a row dating back to the 2010 season.

Toiling with the Tigers
Towson (1-16, 0-5 CAA) comes into the weekend searching for its first conference victory of 2012. The Tigers, however, have the steep task of facing the Huskies on NU's Senior Day and the last game of the regular season. Towson has given up 90 goals through 17 games this season, only able to net 20 scores of its own.

Heather Jenney and Coutney Branco have both notched 13 points this season to lead the Tigers' offense. Jenney has six goals and an assist to her credit, while Branco has five goals and three assists in her favor. Tashani Dickson has spen all 1198:24 in the cage for Towson, allowing 90 goals, but making a league-high 140 stops.

EVENT NOTE: The senior class will be honored prior to the contest on Sunday. Student buses for the game will run from Chicken Lou's at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. All fans planning on attending the game at Harvard's Jordan Field should note that there will be a $10 parking fee, per car, due to multiple events being hosted at Harvard's facilities throughout the day. For any Huskies fans who are unable to attend the game in person, a live stream will be available on GoNUXstream, free of charge.

History with Towson
Northeastern owns a favorable 13-3 record all-time against Towson, but the Huskies have dropped two of the last four meetings with the Tigers (2011 and 2009). Last season, the Towson came to Boston and edged NU, 1-0, for its 10th win of the season.

Dynamic duo
Though they're on opposite sides of their respective careers, forwards Crystal Poland and Deirdre Duke have combined to form a powerful one-two punch on offense. Poland leads the conference with 24 goals and 53 points, while Duke is close behind in third place with 11 goals and 27 points. Duke's four goals against Hofstra (10/19) were the most for a Husky since 2003, and the second-highest single-game total in the NCAA this season. The two international players have combined to bring home seven weekly awards from the conference this season; Poland has earned four Player of the Week honors, and Duke has three Rookie of the Week awards to her name.

Historic Huskies
With her two-goal performance against Harvard on Oct. 3, Crystal Poland gained sole possession of Northeastern's all-time career goals mark (then at 68). The senior, now with 74 goals and 20 assists in her four years, owns NU's career mark for points in a career as well (now at 168), with two goals and an assist to her credit in NU's 7-1 win over Hofstra on Oct. 19.

In the cage, senior netminder Lizzie Priest soared up the record ladder with a strong season so far. With her 44 career wins for the Red and Black, Priest currently owns sole possession of second place all-time for wins at Northeastern. Her 5407 minutes are also good enough for second place, while her career winning percentage of .579 (44-32) ranks seventh in program history.

After registering 18 assists a year ago, Nicky Graham is on pace to scratch the surface of the history books as well. With her 12 helpers so far this season (most in the CAA at this point), the North Vancouver, British Columbia, native has 33 career assists, good enough for seventh all-time at Northeastern.

Final approach
Sunday's contest will mark the final home game for Northeastern's eight seniors. Co-captains Allison Conti and Christine Tase, along with Olivia Bass, Nicky Graham, Hannah Hoelscher Emily Norell, Crystal Poland and Lizzie Priest, will lead the Huskies out for their final home game, and the final regular season game of 2012, when Towson comes to town.

This senior class has 45 wins to its name through nearly four years, with 26 of those coming in just the last two seasons. If the Huskies can grab two wins as the season comes to a close, this class will be the most successful fourth-year class since the seniors who graduated in 2007 (53 wins).

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