Northeastern had their first regional group matchup this morning against Stony Brook. The air was brisk and the field was damp as the Northeastern boys were absolutely buzzing for the 9:30am kickoff.
From the start of the game, Ben Jacobson was dominating the Stony left back. Swinging in crosses at will, he would eventually connect with Ty Benjaafar on the back post. Benjaafar would head the ball back to Dan Ryvkin who ripped a shot across the goal for a sliding deflection from Jackson Neal into the net. Northeastern continued to exploit the right side, with Dan Ryvkin slotting a cross to Benjaafar again on the back post. This time Benjaafar would finish a most preciously placed shot himself to go up 2-0.
Northeastern came out fast in the second half. Great wing play from the outside backs caught Stony on their heels. Jordan Lian and Nico Lopez played great overlapping combinations up the left side. Kam Pirouz came into the left back position, keeping the pressure on the opposing back line and slotting through balls to the forward runs. Nabil Chaudhry and Dan Mattar provided service from the right side making sure the Stony left back had the worst task on the field. The deep Northeastern center mid lineup absolutely dominated Stony. Ben Fargiano would be rewarded for his work through the game, finding the other end of a free kick from Dan Ryvkin for a clinical slotted finish. Matt Nikiciuk and Jared Covell played some pretty football late in the game, securing the win for Northeastern. Landon Neal would come onto the field at left wing, making a cut inside and a great curling shot back post, drawing a respectable save from the Stony keeper. The ref called a tight game and gave Stony a penalty late in the second half that they converted.
Northeastern walked away with a 3-1 win and finishes their group play this afternoon against Binghamton.