The 2006 season may not have been everything the field hockey team anticipated, but the Huskies did the best they could and even made it to the semifinal game of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship.
To get there the Huskies topped William ‘ Mary in the quarterfinal game at Sweeney Field Nov. 1.
“It is a great opportunity to have a conference tournament game at home,” said head coach Cheryl Murtagh. “This team has been playing well and finishing. We put the pressure on teams.”
Seemingly aware that it could be the last time they held a field hockey stick, senior co-captains Whitney Shean and Sarah Eckhoff played their hardest, combining for three goals in the 4-1 win over the Tribe. Shean started the four-goal first half with her fifth goal of the season. Freshman back Suzanne Hazelzet crossed the ball to the middle and Shean deflected it into the goal in the sixth minute of play.
Shean scored her second goal of the game in the 13th minute. Sophomore forward Rachel Wilkes took a pass from sophomore midfielder Ashley Bascetta and redirected it to Shean, who was occupying the left post and tapped the ball in for the 2-0 lead.
Eckhoff scored her sixth goal of the season five minutes later off a penalty corner from junior midfielder Ashley Webber. Eckhoff’s shot ricocheted off the pads of the Tribe’s goalie and into the top of the net.
Junior forward Stephanie Casper added her team-leading 10th goal in the 26th minute. Webber crossed the ball to the right post and Casper tipped the ball in to give the Huskies a 4-0 lead going into halftime.
Northeastern didn’t have its offensive rhythm in the second half, registering just one shot compared to 12 in the first.
William ‘ Mary scored in the 55th minute when forward Kim Hedley scored her ninth goal of the season. She collected the rebound off a save by junior keeper Liz Centofanti and put it in the back of the goal.
Centofanti made six saves in the game.
“We have been playing so much better,” said Shean, who played with a torn meniscus. “The CAA tournament is a whole new season for us. We can go as far as we want to now. I don’t think that it could be my last game, I just play.”
In the semifinal game the Huskies faced No. 3 Old Dominion. While the Huskies spent a day traveling for the game, the Monarchs needed just 20 minutes to commute to the neutral Virginia Beach, Va. site.
The game remained scoreless for the first 20 minutes, but from that point on the Monarchs controlled the game, winning 7-0 to advance to the finals.
Old Dominion’s first goal was a cross-goal shot into the far corner in the 20th minute. They scored two more goals in a three-minute span to end the half with the Huskies down 3-0.
Despite an early scoring chance, Northeastern managed just one shot in the second half before allowing four more goals to end their season.
“We never doubted ourselves,” Shean said. “We had the potential all season and we battled every game.”
On Nov. 3 the CAA announced three Huskies were named to the All-Conference teams. Shean was named to the first team All-CAA for the second consecutive season. She finished the regular season with a team-leading 12 assists and second on the team with 20 points. The Medfield native will graduate tied for eighth in school history with 40 goals and sole possession of eighth place with 31 assists.
Webber was also named to the first team after receiving second team honors last year. She had six goals and three assists this season.
Hazelzet was named to the All-Rookie team after a breakout offensive season. She netted four goals and one assist in her rookie campaign. She was also named to the CAA All-Tournament team along with Eckhoff.
