BOSTON—The Northeastern field hockey team hits the road Friday evening to take on the Towson Tigers in a conference match-up. Game time is 6 p.m.
Last time out
Northeastern (5-9) fell to crosstown rival Boston University, 2-0, at Dedham Field in the team's pink game to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Freshman goalkeeper
Becky Garner was solid between the pipes for the Huskies, stopping six-of-eight BU shots in the losing effort. The Huskies added five shots on goal of their
own, including three from freshman
Emmy Zweserijn, but weren't able to get any past BU goalie Valentina Cerda.
Nell Burdis scored with 1:30 left in the first half to give the Terriers the lead going into halftime. Rachel Coll added an insurance goal 14 minutes into the second frame to secure the BU win.
Scouting Towson
Towson enters Friday's showdown with the Huskies eager to earn its first conference win of the season and make a push in the CAA standings with only weeks remaining until the CAA tournament begins.
The Tigers dropped their first two games of the season before knocking off Georgetown, 3-2, in College Park, Md., for their first win of the season. They've struggled since then, though, losing 11 consecutive games and the first three contests of their CAA slate.
Towson is led by a pair of seniors, back Kate Williams and forward Kathleen Morris. The duo is tied for the team lead in scoring with five points (two goals and one assist each), while Morris has the team's only penalty shot goal of the season.
Brittany Varacallo backstops the Tigers in goal, starting 12 of the team's 14 games thus far and earning Towson's only win of the season. She has stopped 87 shots for a .725 save percentage, both good for second in the conference, and allowed 33 goals for a 2.65 goals against average.
In their only meeting last season, the Huskies toppled the Tigers, 6-0, on Senior Day in Cambridge, Mass.
Crystal Poland scored four goals for Northeastern, and
Lizzie Priest stopped four shots to earn the shutout and her 45th career victory.
Bennett picking up where she left off
Senior forward
Lindsay Bennett has been a bright spot for the Northeastern offense, but that's no surprise to the Huskies.
In 14 games this season, the Kansas City, Mo., native has tallied six goals, a career-high, and 15 points, six short of a single-season best. But Bennett was no slouch in 2012-13 either, notching five goals and 11 assists for 21 points to help pace the Husky offensive attack.
She carried that momentum into the 2013-14 season, earning points in each of her first four games before erupting for a three-point game in a 5-4 loss to Hofstra on Sept. 27. Her two game-winning goals are tied for fourth in the CAA, and she is currently tied for sixth in both goals and goals per game (0.43) and tied for eighth in points per game (1.07).
A little help from my friends
Freshman netminder
Becky Garner has been a stonewall for the Huskies in net this season, but she hasn't been without help from the players in front of her. Five different Huskies have recorded defensive saves this season—
Jessica Unger (2),
Laura Dimitruk,
Zoe Kale,
Alyssa Carlson and
Caroline Judge—to give them six total, tied for third in the conference and 21st in the NCAA.
Garner earns CAA accolades
One week after
Natalie Stewart became the first Husky to earn weekly honors this season, freshman goalkeeper
Becky Garner made it two straight for NU on Tuesday when she was named the CAA Rookie of the Week.
Garner collected her first collegiate shutout on Friday night against No. 19 Drexel, backstopping the Huskies to a 1-0 win over their league rivals. Garner made seven games during the contest before making another four stops at Maine on Sunday.
The Somerset, England native has started all 13 games this season for the Huskies, posting a 2.20 goals against average and .705 save percentage. Garner is also fourth in the league with 67 saves.
Zweserijn among the league's best
Freshman
Emmy Zweserijn is off to a strong start to her career with the Huskies, leading the team with 17 points (seven goals, three assists) in her first 14 collegiate games. The Ziest, Netherlands native has tallied a point in seven of her 13 games this season, including a four-game point streak from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13. Zweserijn is among the league leaders in both goals and points this season, and is also 83rd in the nation with 1.31 points per game.
Murtagh collects No. 350 at NU
NU's 5-0 win against Dartmouth on Sept. 13 marked a milestone in the illustrious career of head coach
Cheryl Murtagh, who secured her 350th career victory at Northeastern. Murtagh is 369-213-13 in 28-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, including a 352- 198-10 mark on Huntington Ave. Murtagh, who was inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame last season, began the 2013 campaign ranked eighth in the nation in career victories among active Division I head coaches.
Rookies off to a hot start
After the departure of its top two scorers from last season, including two-time All-American
Crystal Poland, Northeastern welcomes 11 freshmen to the 2013 squad. The group, made up of five forwards, three midfielders, two back and one goalkeeper is tied with Lock Haven, Michigan State and Sacred Heart for the most true freshmen in the nation.
The road ahead
Northeastern returns home on Sunday to host CAA-leading Delaware on Senior Day at 2 p.m. at Dedham Field. The Huskies will then play their final home game of the season on Oct. 30 against Harvard at 6 p.m.
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