Northeastern draws Eagles in first round of NCAA tournament

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BOSTON – One day after earning the Colonial Athletic Association title, the Northeastern women's soccer team learned that it will play at Boston College on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies beat James Madison, 3-1, on Sunday to earn their second conference championship and second NCAA berth since joining the CAA in 2005. Senior captain Hanna Terry was named the CAA Championships' Most Outstanding player while teammates Paige Burnett, Bianca Calderone and Hannah O'Donnell were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Northeastern opened the postseason as the CAA's No. 3 seed and hosted Delaware in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless draw through two overtime periods, the Huskies prevailed in penalty kicks, 4-3. NU then traveled to the hosting campus, No. 1 James Madison, where it battled No. 2 William & Mary in the semifinals. Once again, the Huskies reached a draw through two extra periods, 2-2, and once again Northeastern advanced on penalty kicks, 3-1.

Two days after sneaking past the Tribe, the Huskies squared off against the Dukes for the CAA crown. Goals by O'Donnell, Lahaina Zoller and Terry, and seven saves by Burnett sealed the conference crown for NU.

"From day one our team was so driven to make this dream come true," said Northeastern head coach Tracey Leone. "I am so proud and happy for our players to be able to experience such an amazing accomplishment, and we are incredibly appreciative of all the support we have always received from the athletic department and Northeastern University."

The Huskies opened the 2013 season with a tough non-conference schedule that included NCAA qualifying teams in UCLA, Ohio State and South Carolina. Despite going 0-6-3 in its non-conference slate, Northeastern found its stride when the conference schedule opened and the Huskies finished the regular season 5-2-1 against CAA opponents.

"Through the struggles of the first half of the season, the team stayed together and believed in our potential. As we entered conference play, we re-committed ourselves to this dream, and all of our previous struggles became a valuable learning experience," said Leone. "Twenty-nine extraordinary individuals have become a very special team, and we are thrilled to be moving on to the NCAA tournament."

Northeastern's last NCAA tournament bid came in 2008 when the Huskies won the CAA tournament and edged past Harvard on penalty kicks in the first round of the NCAA playoffs before falling to Boston College in the second round.

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