BROOKLINE — On a beautiful fall day at Parsons Field, Northeastern battled hard with Delaware in the 2024 season finale, coming out with a 1-1 tie.
With only 5:22 left in the game, the Huskies looked like they were closing in on a scoreless match. However, Northeastern sophomore Juliana Garcia found the back of the net for her first career goal off a shot over the Delaware keeper’s head with an assist from senior forward Avery LeVangie. Unfortunately, this lead was short-lived with Delaware responding only a minute and a half later off a bullet from sophomore forward Maggie Groh.
In Northeastern’s Alumni and Halloween game, the team was looking to finish out the season strong. Going into the contest, the Huskies had won two of their last three and were looking to respond after their 3-2 loss to Stony Brook on Thursday. Delaware was a solid opponent for Northeastern’s final stance with their .500 overall record.
To begin the game, both teams looked fairly evenly matched. Although Northeastern had more shots on goal, sophomore goaltender Eliza Teplow made a phenomenal leg save to prevent a Delaware lead just before halftime. With limited high-danger scoring attempts, both offenses knew they had to turn up the heat.
One player to watch entering the second half for Northeastern was fifth-year forward Rose Kaefer, who was coming off of an assist in Thursday’s loss. With two shots on goal in Sunday’s game, Kaefer was a catalyst in creating scoring chances for the Huskies. Setting up exceptional forward passes and using her speed to keep the ball in play, Kaefer was a noticeable weapon that the Delaware Blue Hens were forced to keep an eye on.
Following halftime, Northeastern came out eager to score with some early shots, having a total of 15 over Delaware’s six. However, it remained a one-shot game until the last play with the quick 85th and 87th minute goals by both teams.
Northeastern did find themselves on the higher receiving end when it came to fouls, with 12 overall in comparison with Delaware’s seven, including one yellow card on senior forward Megan Putvinski in the 43rd minute. The Huskies didn’t let this stop them, however, and they battled every penalty kick taken by the Blue Hens.
Once the clock hit just under eight minutes left in the game, head coach Ashley Phillips sent in some of her graduating players including Kaefer, forward Sophie Fox, defender Jayden Newkirk, and defender Katherine Marchesseault. The crowd of family and friends on Northeastern’s side of the bleachers cheered loudly when these players came onto the field. These four were looking to end their soccer careers at Northeastern on a bright note, and they did so by battling until the end. Despite the lone Delaware goal, the Huskies held the Blue Hens to only six shots on goal.
Northeastern’s lone goal scorer, Garcia, only played a total of eight minutes after coming in following an apparent injury to Marchesseault, but that proved to be enough with her rocket over Delaware keeper Kyla Burns’s head.
The Northeastern Women’s Soccer team finished the 2024 season 2-9-7 overall, and 2-4-4 within the CAA conference, missing the postseason for the first time since 2010. They will look to rack up more wins when the 2025 season commences next August.