BOSTON -- The Northeastern men's soccer team returns to action this week as the Huskies travel across town to square off with Boston University on Tuesday night at Nickerson Field in the first meeting between the two programs since 2008.
Last time out
Sophomore goalkeeper
Dylan Faber made four saves in backstop as Northeastern battled to a scoreless draw against Providence on Saturday afternoon at Glay Field.
The Friars held a slight 16-12 edge in shots during the match (4-3 shots on goal), as well as a 4-3 advantage in corner chances.
Shut down defense
The NU defensive corps has come into its own in recent matches, holding its opponents without a goal in the last 200 minutes of play.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Dylan Faber has led the way for the Huskies, picking up back-to-back clean sheets against Fordham and at Providence, making a combined fives. Faber ranks third in the conference in goals against average (0.92) and is tied for first with a .808 save percentage.
Playing from ahead
So far this season, the Huskies have spent minimal time playing from behind. Through 490 minutes of playing time in 2013, NU has trailed for just 18:30.
Showing their depth
Through five matches this season, seven different Huskies have recorded points, including five who have goals.
Mike Lobben and
Robbie Schallmo each recorded their first collegiate points on Sept. 7 with assists against Fairfield, while rookie
Matt Callahan netted his first career goal against Fordham last week.
Marini putting best foot forward
Senior captain
Dante Marini is off to a hot start for the Huskies, leading the team with five points (one goal, three assists) in just five games played.
On Sept. 7, the Chadds Ford, Pa. native set new career-highs in assists (two) and points (four) against Fairfield. Marini is NU's active leader in career points with 33 on nine goals and 15 assists.
Four!
On Sept. 7 against Fairfield,
Terence Carter (two goals),
Devin Devoy (two goals) and
Dante Marini (one goal, two assists) all recorded four points.
The last time NU had three players tally four points in a game came on Oct. 12, 2001 when Peter Starnas (two goals), Nate Houghton (two goals) and Anders Hoyem (four assists) accomplished the feat in a 7-2 win against Maine.
O Captain, My Captain
Northeastern has chosen its leaders for the 2013 season. Senior
Dante Marini, along with juniors
Simon Cox and
Donovan Fayd'Herbe de Maudave will be looked upon to lead a group of Huskies who return 17 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last season's squad.
Cox enters his first season as a tri-captain, while Fayd'Herbe de Maudave and Marini also served as captains last season.
Scouting Boston University
The 2-2-0 Terriers enter Tuesday's contest riding a two-game winning streak, and have scored five unanswered goals, while holding their opponents without a goal against in their last 172:58 of play. BU has owned the all-time series against Northeastern, with a record of 18-7-1.
Sophomore forward Mac McGuire, the team's top point-getter from a season ago, leads the team once again with a goal and an assist for three points while senior midfielder Anthony Ciccone has chipped in with three assists. The scoring has been by committee for the Terriers this season, with each of their six goals coming from different players.
BU has employed a platoon strategy with their goalkeepers, as both redshirt-freshman Matt Gilbert and junior Nick Thomson have each seen plenty of action. Gilbert recorded one save to earn a 3-0 shutout against Monmouth in BU's last match, while Thomson saved six in a 2-1 victory vs. Hofstra in the previous game.
Fresh faces
The Huskies welcome 10 new faces to the 2013 squad, the most of any team in the conference. The group of three forwards, three midfielders and four defenders are expected to push to returning players for playing time throughout the season.
NU unveils 2013 digital media guide
The Northeastern athletic department introduces the official 2013 digital media guide for men's soccer. In an upgrade from previous media guides, this year's digital guides provide a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate format to access information for all 18 teams at Northeastern.
This season's digital media guides provide a glance into the student-athletes, coaches and history of each NU team, as well as a multitude of information on the University and the City of Boston. The guide also allows fans to learn more about a specific topic with a simple click of the mouse. Visit GoNU.com/DMG to view all four fall media guides.
The road ahead
Northeastern return home this weekend when the Huskies welcome Columbia to Parsons Field for a 6 p.m. matchup on Saturday. Northeastern is 1-0-0 all-time against the Lions, with the only other meeting coming in 2007.
The Huskies will put their 18-match unbeaten streak (17-0-1) on the line on Saturday at Parsons Field where NU has not lost since Nov. 6, 2010.
