2008 Woodie Awards
Men's Soccer: Huskies topple Terriers
Jonathan Raymond
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Sports
The defense of the men's soccer team shined once again Tuesday, blanking Boston University in a 1-0 win for the team's third straight shutout.
The Huskies' offense managed to produce a goal for the first time in three games when freshman forward Mike Kennedy found the back of the net at the beginning of the second half in the 48th minute.
Head coach Brian Ainscough said the win resulted from a solid team effort and was a good confidence-builder for a team that had dominated play recently but had been unable to score a goal.
"It was good for the kids because the last couple of games we've had most of the play and most of the shots and we couldn't put them away," he said. "[Tuesday] we had a lot of very, very good shots."
The Huskies outshot the Terriers 11-9 in total, as junior goalkeeper Scott Partridge made three saves in his third shutout of the season. Partridge credited the defense with keeping BU from getting many good chances on the Northeastern net.
"The back three has been playing great defense for us this year," he said. "We had our mistakes early on in the season, but now we're set in gear and feel very confident in there."
Kennedy put three shots on goal in addition to his second goal of the year, while senior forward Lewis Ehrlich pitched in two shots on goal.
Junior midfielder Alexander Volk contributed two shots on goal as well. Ainscough said the play of the forwards and Kennedy's goal in particular were encouraging signs for an offense that has played well but at times struggled to finish scoring opportunities.
"You always like your forwards to score," he said. "It gives them confidence and the forwards score most of your goals throughout the year."
The game against BU was Northeastern's final tune-up before it begins conference play this weekend with a home match against James Madison. Ainscough said his team is motivated to turn in a good showing in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) after being picked to finish ninth out of 12 in the preseason poll.
"I think when your peers pick you to finish ninth in the league, that's enough motivation to prove your peers wrong," he said. "We're very confident going in [to CAA play] and we expect to be fighting for the top position in the league."
Ainscough said he expects his defense to continue to be a strength of the team's as the Huskies head into league play.
"Our defense has been great all year. There haven't been many goals from play. There were goals, but they were from set plays. Not ones you could actually defend against," he said. "All our defenders have been playing really, really well all year long. The defense has been playing fabulously from day one."
The game against James Madison Saturday will start at 6 p.m. at Parsons Field.
The Huskies' offense managed to produce a goal for the first time in three games when freshman forward Mike Kennedy found the back of the net at the beginning of the second half in the 48th minute.
Head coach Brian Ainscough said the win resulted from a solid team effort and was a good confidence-builder for a team that had dominated play recently but had been unable to score a goal.
"It was good for the kids because the last couple of games we've had most of the play and most of the shots and we couldn't put them away," he said. "[Tuesday] we had a lot of very, very good shots."
The Huskies outshot the Terriers 11-9 in total, as junior goalkeeper Scott Partridge made three saves in his third shutout of the season. Partridge credited the defense with keeping BU from getting many good chances on the Northeastern net.
"The back three has been playing great defense for us this year," he said. "We had our mistakes early on in the season, but now we're set in gear and feel very confident in there."
Kennedy put three shots on goal in addition to his second goal of the year, while senior forward Lewis Ehrlich pitched in two shots on goal.
Junior midfielder Alexander Volk contributed two shots on goal as well. Ainscough said the play of the forwards and Kennedy's goal in particular were encouraging signs for an offense that has played well but at times struggled to finish scoring opportunities.
"You always like your forwards to score," he said. "It gives them confidence and the forwards score most of your goals throughout the year."
The game against BU was Northeastern's final tune-up before it begins conference play this weekend with a home match against James Madison. Ainscough said his team is motivated to turn in a good showing in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) after being picked to finish ninth out of 12 in the preseason poll.
"I think when your peers pick you to finish ninth in the league, that's enough motivation to prove your peers wrong," he said. "We're very confident going in [to CAA play] and we expect to be fighting for the top position in the league."
Ainscough said he expects his defense to continue to be a strength of the team's as the Huskies head into league play.
"Our defense has been great all year. There haven't been many goals from play. There were goals, but they were from set plays. Not ones you could actually defend against," he said. "All our defenders have been playing really, really well all year long. The defense has been playing fabulously from day one."
The game against James Madison Saturday will start at 6 p.m. at Parsons Field.
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