BOSTON—Northeastern opens the 2013 women's soccer season with a pair of games in Los Angeles. The Huskies square off against No. 5 UCLA on Friday, Aug. 23, and then play Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Aug. 25.

Homecoming for seven Huskies
Northeastern's weekend trip to Los Angeles marks a homecoming of sorts for seven Huskies. Paige Burnett (Placentia), Taylor Tharp (San Jose), Breeana Koemans (Pasadena), Amy Steele (San Jose), Krista Meaglia (Sierra Madre), Morgan Hilby (Manhattan Beach) and Oksana Nicholls (Glendora) are all from California. The Huskies carry more players from California than any other state. Six Huskies hail from Massachusetts.

A history of quick starts
Dating back to the 2000 season, the Huskies are 9-3-1 in the first game of the regular season. During that span, Northeastern owns an undefeated mark of 7-0-1 when the first game of the season is on the road. The Huskies' first game of the 2013 season is at No. 5 UCLA.

Terry the solo senior
Hanna Terry is the only senior on the Northeastern roster. The Park City, Utah, native led the Huskies with five assists last year and was named to the 2012 All-CAA first team. Just a few weeks ago, Terry was named to the 2013 All-CAA preseason first team.

Young faces
The Huskies have 12 freshmen on the roster, more than any other team in the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA). UNCW checks in at second with a roster that includes 10 first-year players. 

Young, but experienced
Despite the abundance of freshmen, the Huskies return several players with plenty of playing experience. Dating back to the start of the 2011 season, both Hanna Terry and Paige Burnett have started all 40 games for Northeastern. Awnalisa Walker (18 starts), Shayna Blackwood (17), Hannah O'Donnell (12) and Lahaina Zoller (11) played in all 19 games for the Huskies last year.  

Weekend of firsts
This weekend marks the Huskies' first-ever matchup with UCLA and Loyola Marymount. It marks the program's second-ever trip to California. Northeastern competed in the San Jose State University tournament in 2001, when the Huskies beat San Jose State, 5-3, and lost to Pacific University, 3-0.

Scouting UCLA
The Bruins are ranked No. 5 by the NSCAA and No. 4 by TopDrawerSoccer.com. UCLA is also the favorite to win the Pac-12 Conference, as voted by the conference's coaches. The Bruins return nine starters from the 2012 team that finished 18-3-2 and reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Rosie White and Chelsea Stewart were members of the 2012 U.S. women's soccer Olympic team, and Abby Dahlkemper is an All-American defender. Goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland holds the program record for consecutive shutout minutes (564). Taylor Smith is the team's top returning scorer after totaling 20 points on eight goals and four assists in 2012.

Scouting Loyola Marymount
The Lions are selected to finish sixth (out of 10) in the West Coast Conference, as voted by the conference's coaches. Senior goalkeeper Brittany Jagger started all 19 games for LMU last year and allowed just 22 goals while recording 85 saves. Senior forward Tawni Martino led the Lions in scoring last year with nine points on four goals and one assist. Martino has led the program in points for three consecutive years.

Colonial Athletic Association preview
The Huskies were picked to finish sixth in the CAA by the conference's head coaches. In addition to Hanna Terry's pre-season All-CAA honor, Paige Burnett and Oksana Nicholls earned preseason All-CAA honorable mention. Hofstra is the favorite to win the CAA. Last year, the Huskies beat Hofstra in the final game of the regular season, 3-2. Northeastern and Hofstra matched up in the first round of the CAA Championships, as Hofstra advanced on penalty kicks after the teams were knotted 2-2 through two overtime periods.  

Stiff non-conference competition
Northeastern faces a tough non-conference schedule for the second consecutive season. The Huskies open the season against No. 5 UCLA, and host No. 23 Ohio State on Sept. 8. Last season the Huskies lost to No. 23 Boston University (3-0) and No. 6 Boston College (2-0).

Attention Northeastern alumni
Be sure to join the Los Angeles and San Diego alumni chapters, family, and friends prior to the Loyola Marymount game for a pregame reception hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations. Event registration includes the pregame reception adjacent to Sullivan Field. Game tickets must be purchased separately. The reception begins at 2 p.m. (PDT). Click here for more information and to register.