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Men’s soccer defeated Northeastern 2-1 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game winless streak and a four-game goal drought. A Drew Serafino goal in the second minute and a Michael Suski penalty kick helped the Eagles secure the win.
None other than Suski would draw the foul that led to the game winning penalty kick goal. Dribbling just inside the box with his back turned to the goal, Suski was taken down by a Huskies defender, immediately earning a penalty kick from the referee.
Suski wasted no time placing the ball on the spot, measuring his distance, and firing a rocket into the lower right corner netting, making the score 2-0 in favor of the Eagles. His second penalty kick of the season was a carbon copy of his first, down to the stutter step to make keeper Colby Hegarty flinch.
It was Eagles midfielder Serafino who opened the scoring in the first half, dribbling past three Northeastern defenders to shoot a low left-footed laser across his body and into the bottom right corner. The goal was his first in the NCAA and makes him only the third goal scorer for Boston College this season.
The Eagles were clicking against Northeastern, poking holes in the defense and taking shots from distance, something the team has struggled with this season. The tie with now-ranked No. 9 Virginia Tech dramatically improved the team’s confidence, as the Eagles were a dangerous team on offense with plenty of chances early in the game.
Despite periods of intense pressure from the Huskies offense, the Eagles denied Northeastern significant chances, refusing to allow shots within the box. The limited number of Northeastern shots was a team effort. Captain Ian Buehler made a perfectly timed clear off a header in the 10th minute and midfielder Jorge Dickens made a diving clearance on what would have been a dangerous chance in the 22nd minute.
The Huskies would steal a goal back in the 82nd minute on their ninth corner attempt. Eren Senyuva blasted a ball from the top of the box into the top right corner of the net, giving the diving keeper Brennan Klein no chance to make the save and putting the Huskies within one with 18 minutes to go.
Sophomore keeper Brennan Klein, in only his third start, continued to prove his soccer instincts, cleaning up several dangerous balls into the box. Klein’s aggressive goaltending has made a difference for the Eagles and he boasts a save percentage of 0.824.
With nine minutes to go and the Huskies pressing for an equalizer, Northeastern forward Dan Munch found himself in space outside the box and sent a rocket towards the lower left corner. Klein made a spectacular diving save, pushing the ball off the goalpost to prevent the goal, keeping the score 2-1. The diving save was the third of the night where Klein got just enough on it to prevent a Huskies goal.
The game was a textbook example of total commitment from the Eagles. Victor Souza cleared a ball off the goal line in the 85th minute, blocking what would have been the tying goal. Aidan Farwell earned a corner with his one-man effort in the 55th minute and proved dangerous, linking up with forward Jonathon Murphey for several chances in the second.
In addition to his opening goal, Serafino managed the midfield, playing everywhere seemingly all at once. As the second half drew to a close, the Huskies seemed poised to have one last chance in transition with the Eagles backline slightly out of position, leaving a Northeastern player unmarked on the left side of the field. The Huskies attempted to switch fields, but Serafino made a last-ditch slide, clearing the ball and preventing the Huskies from springing the transition play.
Freshman Arsen Melkumyan made his debut in the midfield, logging solid minutes in the first half as he made his case to be a regular sub. Walker Davy, out last season with an injury, played his first significant minutes, blocking a Huskies shot attempt and proving a solid distributor in the midfield.
Both Moritz Frahm and Wil Jacques received yellow cards for time wasting. Frahm’s was in the first half, while Jacques received his in the 88th minute. Northeastern’s Eren Senyuva received a yellow card at the close of the game, with both teams coming together after the final whistle.
The Eagles (4-4-2) returned to ACC play on Friday at 8 p.m. against Virginia on the road.
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