BOSTON -- Coming off a hard fought 2-0 road victory on Tuesday night at Holy Cross, the Northeastern men's soccer team hosts Stony Brook on Saturday night on Parsons Field in the first meeting between the two programs since 2004.
For Northeastern students interested in attending Saturday's game, shuttle buses will depart from Chicken Lou's one hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes prior to the match, and return to campus at the conclusion of the game.
Last time out
Northeastern received second half goals from
Jonathan Eckford and
Conner Alexander, along with a blank sheet from
Dylan Faber and the NU defense to lead the Huskies to a 2-0 win at Holy Cross on Tuesday night.
NU outshot the Crusaders 13-9 during the match, including a 7-1 edge in shots on goal. The Huskies also earned five corner chances to Holy Cross' two.
Shut down defense
The NU defense has held up its end of the bargain this season. The veteran group, anchored by
Simon Cox and
Ambry Moss, has held opponents to one goal or less in six of the team's eight matches this season.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Dylan Faber has led the way for the Huskies, picking up three blank sheets in the last four matches. Faber ranks third in the conference in save percentage (.765) and fourth in goals against average (.758). He is also second in the conference with 26 saves, highlighted by a career-high six in each of the first two games of the season.
A spark from an unlikely source
Senior back
Jonathan Eckford, mostly known for his ability to shut down the opposing team's attack, contributed on the offensive end of the field on Tuesday night. The Bradenton, Fla. native netted the eventual game-winning goal at Holy Cross in the 69th minute for his first goal as a Husky, and first tally since Oct. 8, 2011 when he played for Southern Connecticut State.
Marini putting best foot forward
Senior captain
Dante Marini is off to a hot start for the Huskies, leading the team with seven points (two goals, three assists) in eight 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 (35) on 10 goals and 15 assists.
Marini has been the face of the Northeastern midfield during his career on Huntington Avenue, having started the previous 51 matches dating back to the end of his freshman season.
McKenna starting to hit his stride
Freshman forward
Christian McKenna has earned his spot in the Northeastern offensive attack. Despite not having recorded a point this season, McKenna has played a significant part in NU's play in the attacking third.
McKenna is second on the team with 16 shots this season. McKenna would be the first Husky since
Don Anding in 2009 to lead the team in shots as a rookie.
Scouting Stony Brook
The 3-4 Seawolves come into town looking to get back to .500 after a 2-0 loss to Central Connecticut on Sept. 22. NU is 5-2 all-time against Stony Brook as the Huskies will take on their former America East rivals for the first time since joining the CAA. Stony Brook took a 2-1 home victory in the last meeting in the Huskies' 2004 season finale on Nov. 3.
Senior midfielder/defender Will Casey has led the Seawolves offense with three goals and six points. He is first on the team in both categories while Alejandro Fritz has tallied two goals and an assist for five points.
The Stony Brook defense has been stingy this season, never allowing more than two goals in a game. Redshirt freshman Jason Orban has played all 630 minutes in goal, allowing only nine goals in that span. He has compiled a 1.29 goals against average and a .719 save percentage while collecting two shutouts.
Diving into conference play
The start of CAA competition is right around the corner for the Huskies, who play seven of its final eight regular season games against conference opponents. Northeastern was 6-1-3 in CAA play last season to finish second in the league standings.
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.
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.
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
A trip to Harrisonburg, Va. awaits the Huskies after Saturday's match with the Seawolves as NU opens conference play at James Madison on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Northeastern is 4-5-2 all-time against the Dukes, including two victories last season by a combined score of 6-0.
