Huskies host crosstown rival Harvard
The Northeastern field hockey team closes out its home slate when it hosts crosstown rival Harvard on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Dedham Field.
Last time out
The Northeastern field hockey team lost to league-leading Delaware, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at Dedham Field.
Becky Garner registered eight saves in goal for Northeastern (6-10-0, 2-2-0 CAA). The Blue Hens' defense, meanwhile, allowed just one shot on goal for the home-standing Huskies. The game remained scoreless until the 28-minute mark, when UD's Kasey Prettyman scored from the right side after a penalty corner.
After NU's
Kelly Dunn missed wide, Toni Popinko carried the ball down the left side and slid a shot just beyond the reach of Garner. The goal gave Delaware a 2-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. Delaware added a third goal in the game's final minutes.
Scouting Harvard
Harvard enters Wednesday's matchup after falling to defending national champion No. 9 Princeton, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson, who own a 5-8 record on the season, dropped their first two games of the season before shutting out Holy Cross, 4-0, in Worcester, Mass., for their first win of the season. Harvard followed up with a 3-2 victory at Yale, claiming its first and only Ivy League victory this season.
Harvard is led by freshman forward Marissa Balleza who has tallied a team-best eight goals and 19 points. The Rookie, who ranks first in the conference in penalty strokes, holds the team's only two penalty shots of the season (2-2).
Jenn Hatfield backstops the Crimson in goal and has started in all 13 of the team's games thus far. She has stopped 69 shots for a .719 save percentage, both good for a top-5 Ivy League ranking.
In their only meeting last season, the Huskies handled Harvard on the stick of
Crystal Poland, who notched two goals in NU's 4-1 victory. Poland's second goal of the game moved the senior into sole possession of first place all-time in Northeastern's program history with her 68th career goal.
Final approach
Wednesday's contest will mark the final home game for Northeastern's two seniors. Forwards
Lindsay Bennett and
Maggie Burke will lead the Huskies in their final matchup at Dedham field when they host Harvard. The duo was honored in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony before the Huskies last outing against Delaware. Bennett has 15 goals and 18 assists in 80 career games, while Burke has played in 27 career games, including 15 this season.
Leading lady
Senior forward
Lindsay Bennett has been a bright spot for the Northeastern offense -- but that's no surprise to the Huskies.
In 16 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, Oct. 11 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 16 games this season for the Huskies, posting a 2.16 goals against average and .712 save percentage. Garner also ranks 38th in the nation with 5.25 saves per game.
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 18 points (seven goals, four assists) in her first 16 collegiate games. The Ziest, Netherlands native has tallied a point in seven of her 16 games this season, including a four-game point streak from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13. Zweserijn is among the league leaders in both goals, shots and points this season, and is also 114th in the nation with 1.12 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 370-214-13 in 28-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, including a 353-200-10 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 closes out regular season play with a two-game road swing against William & Mary and James Madison. The Huskies will take on the Tribe on Friday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m., before heading to Harrisonburg, Va., to face the Dukes for a 1 p.m., match up.
Hang out with the Huskies
Fans who are unable to attend the game can catch all the action — including live video and audio — free of charge at GoNU.com/xstream. GoNUxstream is accessible on PC and Mac computers, as well as on iPhones, iPads and Android phones. Live stats are available at GoNU.com/livestats.
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