Northeastern faced off against Hult International Business School this Saturday afternoon. The Huskies walked away with a 4-0 win, building momentum entering the back half of the season with a 5-0-1 record. Hult is still searching for their first points in their inaugural season.
Northeastern controlled the pace of the game early. Superior play through the middle from Ben Fargiano and Ari Kantorowitz kept the ball moving from side to side as Northeastern generated attacks. Northeastern wing backs Jordan Lian and Austin Birmingham were active, moving up the pitch, feeding the wingers and center-forward. In the first half, Lian would find a weighted through ball up the left flank, connecting with Jackson Neal’s run across the back line. The Hult keeper got caught coming out as Neal flicked the ball over him and into the far post to open the scoring. Freshmen Ethan Cukaj and Nico Lopez would make an impact later in the half, with Cukaj finding himself in behind the Hult defense and slotting the ball across the face of the net, beating the keeper, and awaiting a tap-in goal from Lopez. Landon Neal would nearly get in on the scoring action, reaching a bouncing through ball, attempting the volley over the keeper, and sending his attempt just over the bar.
The Huskies were sure to put the game away at the start of the second half, making adjustments to pressure the Hult defenders. The press would pay off. After getting megged twice while pressing a Hult defensive midfielder, Jackson Neal would dispossess the opponent and quickly slot a through ball into the path of left winger Ty Benjaafar. Benjaafar left his marker in the dust with his pace from midfield. Benjaafar took a great first touch into the box and finished the play to go up 3-0. Lopez came alive in the second half, slicing through the Hult defense on a dribbling quest from the right wing into the center of the pitch. Just as Hult closed in on him, Lopez released a layoff to Cukaj for a clinical finish. The Northeastern defensive unit had an exemplary performance, getting back on track with their 4th shutout in 6 games.
Northeastern prepares to return to Carter field on Sunday for a matchup against divisional rival Boston College.