Northeastern Huskies
Overall Rank: #37
Conference Rank: #2 CAA
Northeastern Team Page
It was a season to remember for Northeastern men’s soccer players, coaches and fans alike. Not only did the Huskies win the Colonial Athletic Association championship for the first time in school history, they earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the first Northeastern postseason play since 2002. Northeastern thrilled fans with a big win over crosstown rival Boston College before running into trouble against Connecticut, but it was still a great year. The proverbial question now is what does Northeastern do for an encore? That might be difficult to accomplish, but the Huskies won’t be rolling over after such a successful season as 2012.
2012 Record: 14-3-4, 6-1-3
2012 Postseason: NCAA tournament (lost in second round to Connecticut, 1-0)
Coach: Brian Ainscough
Strengths:
There were two categories where Northeastern dwarfed its competition. It averaged 1.57 goals per game and held opponents to 0.76 per contest, which was good for eighth in the nation among Division I schools. The problem is the one responsible for a lot of the goal scoring is gone. The good news is the Huskies return other top scorers like forwards Donovan Fayd and Terence Carter, as well as defender Simon Cox, to the 2013 lineup. Defender Conner Alexander and midfielder Dante Marini are also back, meaning Northeastern returns five of its top six scorers in the lineup. All three of the key positions are also represented, meaning the Huskies will have a veteran presence at practically every position instead of being weak in the midfield, for example.
Weaknesses:
Don Anding’s loss will be felt hard at first as Northeastern finds its way. It isn’t often you can replace a scorer like him (14 goals, seven assists) in one season and be done with it. While Northeastern returns five of the top six scorers, it faces another less-daunting problem. Oliver Blum, who had 64 of the team’s 76 saves a year ago, is now a graduate and will not return to the lineup. Still, the Huskies aren’t completely out of luck because Blum’s backups from last year, Dylan Faber and Jacob Aduama, are back. Faber actually started three games during the 2012 season, one of which was a shutout, and he posted a 1.38 goals-against average. That will help soften the blow somewhat as a new season begins.
Final Projection:
There are seven players in the lineup who are redshirts, only one of which is a senior. There are 13 players in the lineup who are freshmen, either redshirt or true. You get the feeling Northeastern prepared for a season like this. Of course, recruiting is always helped when a team does well, and Northeastern couldn’t have asked for a better year to entice new recruits to come in. The Boston setting doesn’t hurt, either, since New England is a hotbed for soccer. How will this year’s Huskies lineup fare? The loss of Anding will hurt somewhat and could even knock Northeastern out of the CAA hunt if no other scorers rise up. Still, the Huskies should have enough in the tank to challenge for a championship and at least make the big show.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Donovan Fayd, F, 5
Assists: Dante Marini, M, 5
Shots: Donovan Fayd, F, 38
Saves: Dylan Faber, GK, 10
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