Box Score

BROOKLINE, Mass. – On a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon at Parsons Field, the Northeastern men's soccer team secured its spot in the CAA postseason with a 2-1 overtime win against James Madison. Prior to the match, the Huskies recognized the six members of the 2014 senior class for their outstanding careers and accomplishments on Huntington Avenue.
 
Frantzdy Pierrot picked up his fifth goal of the season in the sixth minute of overtime when he headed a ball in the box that floated just over the head of James Madison keeper Kyle Morton. Pierrot has now scored two game-winning goals in overtime for NU this season, with his first coming on Oct. 22 in a 3-2 win at Delaware.
 
The Dukes got off to a fast start against Northeastern in the first half when Josh Grant ran through the Husky defensive line and ripped a shot straight at NU goalkeeper Dylan Faber. Despite making a diving save, Faber found himself out of position as the ball deflected in front of the net, and JMU forward Jamal Umar cleaned up to put the Dukes ahead 1-0 in the sixth minute.
 
Down the early goal, Northeastern maintained its composure and fought for possession deep inside JMU territory. The Huskies had two corners off the leg of Daniel Arvidsson in the 19th and 25th minutes, but neither resulted in a shot on goal. By the end of the first half, Northeastern had only managed to tally three shots compared to James Madison's total of 10.
 
With a playoff spot on the line, the Huskies began sensing the urgency of finding an equalizer as the second half began. After the Dukes' Keaton Hinze was assessed a yellow card in the 51st minute, Northeastern worked the ball up the field and earned a sequence of three straight corner kicks. However, the Huskies again could not quite find a shot on goal, and Donovan Fayd'Herbe de Maudave's shot following the third corner clipped the top of the crossbar before landing out of play.
 
Exceptional net play by Faber kept the Huskies alive in the second half, as the junior from Anchorage, Alaska collected six saves for the third time this year.
 
As the clock dipped below 20 minutes to play in the second half, Northeastern continued to create offensive opportunities by feeding the ball into the JMU box. Fayd'Herbe de Maudave scooted a ball outside of the box in the 77th minute to teammate Brad Fountain, who curved a shot from 20 yards out to put the Huskies on the board and tie the match at 1-1.
 
Physical play by both teams throughout the match hit a climax in the 82nd minute, and a heated exchange between both sides at midfield resulted in two yellow cards being charged to Northeastern's Ambry Moss and James Madison's Toby Appleton. After a brief delay, JMU head coach Tom Martin was also sent off with a red card.
 
With momentum on their side and the fans on their feet, the Huskies drove down the field and produced two shots on net by Fountain and Pierrot before the second half ended and overtime began. During the extra period, NU tagged another two shots before Pierrot headed the ball through to win the match for Northeastern, 2-1.
 
The Huskies outshot the Dukes 12-4 after halftime and finished the game with 10 corners while JMU managed only three. Pierrot and Fountain combined for 10 of Northeastern's 15 shots, and four of the team's six shots on goal.
 
As the CAA regular season wraps up, the Huskies will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to discover which conference rival they will face in the quarterfinals. Currently, Northeastern stands at 7-10-1 (4-3-1 CAA) and in a four-way tie with 13 points, but the Huskies can finish as high as third in the league standings.