Perhaps the most intriguing story of the fall sports season comes from Dedham, Massachusetts.

Over the last 12 years, Delaware’s field hockey squad has dominated the Coastal Athletic Association. During that span, they captured 10 CAA titles and even won the National Championship in 2016.

Now, Delaware is a member of Conference USA, leaving the CAA title up for the taking. Northeastern — a near-perennial participant in the final-four-style CAA tournament — is primed to snatch the crown.

In 2024, Northeastern finished with an impressive 5-1 conference record, good for 2nd place in the conference standings. With key contributors like preseason All-CAA honoree Alex Mega returning to complement an impressive incoming class, the Huskies have a lot to aim for in 2025.

The team features a new goalkeeper in transfer Arabella Loveridge, who comes to Northeastern after 3 years at Indiana. Loveridge comes with a plethora of experience facing some of the best programs in the country like Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State. The Huskies will likely look to this experience as they encounter big games later in the season.

The freshman class also features some important new pieces, particularly Jessica Garden and Lucy Walton, both of whom are poised to play starting roles on the team. Both will be relied upon to bolster an offense that lost its top goal scorer in Lauren Rowe.

The Huskies will continue with non-conference tune-ups over the next few weeks before they open conference play on September 26.

The Huskies made their way into the win column for the first time this season, as they found a scoring touch in their sole game this week. They netted as many goals in one game this week as they had scored across three games in the prior week.

Mere seconds after an offsides call wiped away a potential Lughano Nyondo goal, Nyondo found Lauren Dupont at the penalty arc, and Dupont found the upper left corner of the goal to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

A late first half goal from Bryant knotted the score at the midway point in the match. However, the momentum swung heavily in Northeastern’s favor during the second half, as they peppered 4 shots on goal in under 15 minutes of play. The final of those shots on goal — courtesy of Claire Murray — found the back of the net, giving the Huskies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The season began this weekend with the Holly Young Invitational in Durham, New Hampshire. It was a strong start to the year, as Northeastern won its first 2 matches on the schedule for the first time since 2012.

Playing a big role in the weekend was senior Nadia Koanui, who was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career.

After dropping the first set, the Huskies found themselves in a 10-4 hole in set #2. The momentum shifted as Northeastern score 17 of the next 19 points, and they never looked back.

The second set comeback was followed by a dominant performance in set #3, during which they recorded 20 kills and just 1 error.

The fourth set remained mostly competitive, but a strong service run by Svenja Rodenbuesch put the set out of reach, ultimately allowing the Huskies to secure the match.

The Huskies carried their momentum from the prior day into Saturday morning, as they put together a wire-to-wire performance over the Crusaders.

Northeastern constructed a balanced attack, with 3 players recording 8+ kills: Elle Lucas, Emma Rowell, and Valentina Meirelles.

In a highly competitive, back-and-forth match, the Huskies trailed early after a sleepy first set, but came back strong with wins in the next two sets.

In an intense fourth set, Northeastern clawed back from an early 7-point deficit to even the score at 21, but faded after that as the Wildcats captured both sets #4 and #5.

Some new names appeared at the top of the stat sheet, as freshman Emma Rowell tallied an early career-high 14 kills to lead the Huskies. Sophomore Jane Nelson — playing in her first match of the season — recorded 12 kills for second-most on the team.

The season opener was a success, as steady goaltending from Arabella Loveridge earned her CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Despite firing off 5 shots during the first quarter, a scoreless tie remained after the first 15 minutes of action.

Those struggles were quickly forgotten as captain Alex Mega opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the second quarter.

In the second half, freshman Jess Garden recorded her first collegiate goal to double the Huskies’ lead. The 2-0 score held up as the Huskies moved to a 1-0 record on the young season.

With a team of nearly all underclassmen, Northeastern captured 1st place at the Suffolk Short Course Classic. The three-kilometer race featured 4 Huskies in the top ten, including a third place finish from Stephanie Kriss.

The Huskies are no longer undefeated as they began their conference slate. A tough matchup awaited them as they had to play at Vidas Field in Philadelphia, a venue from which only two visiting teams have emerged victorious since the start of the 2022 season.

Two goals in the span of 5 minutes gave the Drexel Dragons an early 2-0 lead. To make matters worse, Tomas Sciarra was issued a red card in the 41st minute.

Despite the bleak outlook, the Huskies showed some fight, cutting into the deficit with Morris Matthews goal just minutes after the ejection.

Tobias Jahn kept Northeastern in the match with three saves over the next 45 minutes, but the shorthanded second-half Huskies couldn’t find the equalizer they needed.

🍔 An afternoon of kickball and BBQ fare welcomed the student-athletes back to campus.

🟩 Northeastern Night at Dick’s House of Sport is next Tuesday, September 9 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. It will feature free access to the rock wall, golf simulator, batting cage, and more.

Photo credit to Jim Pierce