Northeastern University Athletics | Men's Soccer | Huskies end successful 2008 season

Huskies end successful 2008 season
Nov. 24, 2008
Boston, Mass.

The men's soccer team put together one of the greatest defensive seasons in school history, as the Huskies (7-5-9) finished over .500 in the 2008 season for the first time since head coach Brian Ainscough took over in 2005.

“It was another good step for the program,” said Ainscough. “It was great to see our team’s character as they overcame a lot of tough injuries and illnesses especially in the second half of the season to push us into the CAA Final.”

The Huskies battled injuries all season, especially at the forward position. The team was without forward Matthew Laning for the first half of the season as he rehabbed a back injury. Laning had played in all but one game in 2007 for the Huskies. The biggest blow came when Lewis Ehrlich left the team for the final 12 games due to a family illness. At the time of his departure, Ehrlich led the CAA in shots with 43 and was third in goals with five in just 11 games. The Huskies also lost sophomore defender Matt Sanford for the final eight games of the season. Sanford was a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2007.

The Huskies were led defensively by tri-captains Jonathan Batista, Brendan Ennis and All-CAA first teamer Lars Okland, while goalkeeper Scott Partridge put together the greatest season in Husky history between the pipes. Sophomore defender Petur Vidarsson was also an integral part of the defense as he was named to the All-CAA first team and started all but one game on defense for the Huskies.

In goal, Partridge posted a 0.73 GAA which broke the previous record of 0.97 set by Allan Lewis in 1999. He also played the most minutes in Husky history (2100) and recorded 10 shutouts, which topped Andrew Boyea's mark of nine set in 1996.

The offense did not score often, but scored when it counted as the Huskies scored 11 of their 20 goals after the 70-minute mark with five of those 11 goals being game-winning or game-tying goals. Northeastern's nine ties was the most in the NCAA since Providence reached the mark in 2005. The Huskies also tied NCAA records in scoreless ties (4) and overtime games (11).

Freshman Mike Kennedy led the team with 13 points as he scored five goals and three assists. He also led the team with 56 shots on his way to All-CAA third team and All-Rookie honors. Forward Lewis Ehrlich tied for the team-lead with five goals and also added two assists for a total of 12 points in only 12 games. Midfielder Alexander Volk completed his Husky career with three goals and three assists for nine points on his way to his second consecutive All-CAA third team honors.

Northeastern will lose three key players in Ehrlich, Volk and Batista, but the team returns with a lot of experience and confidence to push the team to the next level and a NCAA Tournament berth. The last NCAA appearance for Northeastern happened in 2002.

“A lot of our returning players played quality minutes and they left the season with a lot of confidence for next year” said Ainscough. “We will be returning an experienced group and build to push the program on.”

Season recap
The team participated in the Louisville Tournament along with James Madison, Butler and Louisville and went 0-1-1 on the trip. Forward Lewis Ehrlich and midfielder Lars Okland were named to the All-Tournament team, for their great play in the tournament, which was highlighted by a 1-1 tie with Louisville.

The Huskies made it a point to start the season strong and turn losses into wins or ties. Northeastern did just that as the team posted a 2-2-3 in its seven games before conference play began. The Huskies had two games slip away from them as they blew two leads at Holy Cross in a 2-3 loss and failed to score on 21 shots in a 0-0 double overtime tie against Maine. Ehrlich had a fast start to the season as he scored in three of his first four games.

The Huskies then played a tough Providence team to a scoreless draw in their home opener at Parsons Field on Sept. 15. The shutout win was the first of four consecutive shutouts that included a 1-0 win over Boston University on Sept. 23 and really established the great defense the Huskies had this season. Keeper Scott Partridge made four saves in his first shutout effort of the season against Providence.

The Huskies ended their non-conference schedule with a 1-0 win against Boston University. Freshman Mike Kennedy converted an Ehrlich pass for his second goal of the season and his first of three game-winners on the year.

Northeastern started conference play with a 1-0 win over James Madison at Parsons Field. NU’s Nick Lueders scored the game-winner in the 11th minute of the game when he fired a winding shot from 30 yards out that found the back of the net. Keeper Partridge received CAA Co-Player of the Week honors for his two shutout performances against BU and James Madison.

The Huskies next battled to a 2-2 double overtime draw against Georgia State where Lars Okland netted a goal in the 65th minute to send the game into overtime.

The next week had the Huskies win two games 2-0 over Hofstra and UNC Wilmington for their sixth shutout performance in the last seven games. Kennedy was the star of the week as he scored one goal and two assists to win CAA Rookie of the Week honors.

Northeastern then played to two 1-1 double overtime ties against Towson and George Mason to reach an unbeaten streak of nine games, which broke the previous Husky record of six games in 2006.

The Huskies received their first conference loss on Oct. 22 against Drexel in double overtime as the Dragons scored in the final 47 seconds of play to down the Huskies. Northeastern was the last team to record a loss in the CAA.

NU ended the season with a 2-1-1 mark and in a four-way tie for second place in the CAA. The Huskies entered the tournament as the five-seed due to tiebreakers.

In the CAA Quarterfinals, the Huskies played to a 0-0 double overtime tie, but won 5-4 on penalty kicks over Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The two teams failed to score a goal in the 110 minutes of regulation and overtime despite some good chances. Goalkeeper Scott Partridge made five saves in his ninth shutout effort of the season. In the penalty shootout, Northeastern found itself down to its final shot when Brendan Ennis stepped up to take his shot. He finessed his shot into the left corner to force a sudden death in the penalty shootout. Partridge made a save on ODU’s next shot and Matt Pentkowski found the back of the net to send Northeastern to the semifinals.

The Huskies played to a second 0-0 double overtime tie, but prevailed again in the penalty shootout by a score of 5-3 in their semifinal match against the top seeded UNC Wilmington Seahawks. The two teams had great chances to win the game in the extra periods. NU’s Mike Kennedy had two chances as he tallied two shots on goal inside the box, but Seahawk keeper Brock Duckworth made some spectacular saves to preserve the shutout. Scott Partridge was great in goal as well as he made nine saves and kept the Seahawks off the board to record his 10th shutout of the season. The Huskies gained the advantage in the penalty shootout when UNCW’s Indy Smith missed high with his shot. The Huskies’ Brendan Ennis netted the game-winner to send NU to the CAA finals.

In the CAA Final, Northeastern played a near-perfect game defensively for the fourth game in a row, but a Patriot goal in the 38th minute by Tournament MVP Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe proved to be the deciding goal in the match and thus ending the Huskies’ 2008 campaign.



	HUSKIES HEADLINES SCHEDULES & RESULTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS RADIO & TV SCHEDULE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HUSKIES INSIDER NORTHEASTERN TWITTER CAA BLOOD CHALLENGE DIRECTIONS SPECIAL EVENTS TRAVEL RSS FEEDS HUSKY ATHLETICS FUND CORPORATE PARTNERS MERCHANDISE TICKET INFORMATION iPHONE APPLICATION NCENTIVES HALL OF FAME CHEERLEADING MISSION & GOALS HISTORY STAFF DIRECTORY FACILITIES CAMPS & CLINICS MEDIA GUIDES NCAA COMPLIANCE NCAA CERTIFICATION SPORTS INFORMATION SPORTS MEDICINE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING STUDENT ATHLETES FIRST SUPPORT SERVICES P.A.W.S. INITIATIVE NORTHEASTERN WEBSITE BOSTON CAMPUS RECREATION SPORT IN SOCIETY GoNU.com INDEX	Schedule Coaches Roster Stats Archives Huskies end successful 2008 season Nov. 24, 2008 Boston, Mass. The men's soccer team put together one of the greatest defensive seasons in school history, as the Huskies (7-5-9) finished over .500 in the 2008 season for the first time since head coach Brian Ainscough took over in 2005. “It was another good step for the program,” said Ainscough. “It was great to see our team’s character as they overcame a lot of tough injuries and illnesses especially in the second half of the season to push us into the CAA Final.” The Huskies battled injuries all season, especially at the forward position. The team was without forward Matthew Laning for the first half of the season as he rehabbed a back injury. Laning had played in all but one game in 2007 for the Huskies. The biggest blow came when Lewis Ehrlich left the team for the final 12 games due to a family illness. At the time of his departure, Ehrlich led the CAA in shots with 43 and was third in goals with five in just 11 games. The Huskies also lost sophomore defender Matt Sanford for the final eight games of the season. Sanford was a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2007. The Huskies were led defensively by tri-captains Jonathan Batista, Brendan Ennis and All-CAA first teamer Lars Okland, while goalkeeper Scott Partridge put together the greatest season in Husky history between the pipes. Sophomore defender Petur Vidarsson was also an integral part of the defense as he was named to the All-CAA first team and started all but one game on defense for the Huskies. In goal, Partridge posted a 0.73 GAA which broke the previous record of 0.97 set by Allan Lewis in 1999. He also played the most minutes in Husky history (2100) and recorded 10 shutouts, which topped Andrew Boyea's mark of nine set in 1996. The offense did not score often, but scored when it counted as the Huskies scored 11 of their 20 goals after the 70-minute mark with five of those 11 goals being game-winning or game-tying goals. Northeastern's nine ties was the most in the NCAA since Providence reached the mark in 2005. The Huskies also tied NCAA records in scoreless ties (4) and overtime games (11). Freshman Mike Kennedy led the team with 13 points as he scored five goals and three assists. He also led the team with 56 shots on his way to All-CAA third team and All-Rookie honors. Forward Lewis Ehrlich tied for the team-lead with five goals and also added two assists for a total of 12 points in only 12 games. Midfielder Alexander Volk completed his Husky career with three goals and three assists for nine points on his way to his second consecutive All-CAA third team honors. Northeastern will lose three key players in Ehrlich, Volk and Batista, but the team returns with a lot of experience and confidence to push the team to the next level and a NCAA Tournament berth. The last NCAA appearance for Northeastern happened in 2002. “A lot of our returning players played quality minutes and they left the season with a lot of confidence for next year” said Ainscough. “We will be returning an experienced group and build to push the program on.” Season recap The team participated in the Louisville Tournament along with James Madison, Butler and Louisville and went 0-1-1 on the trip. Forward Lewis Ehrlich and midfielder Lars Okland were named to the All-Tournament team, for their great play in the tournament, which was highlighted by a 1-1 tie with Louisville. The Huskies made it a point to start the season strong and turn losses into wins or ties. Northeastern did just that as the team posted a 2-2-3 in its seven games before conference play began. The Huskies had two games slip away from them as they blew two leads at Holy Cross in a 2-3 loss and failed to score on 21 shots in a 0-0 double overtime tie against Maine. Ehrlich had a fast start to the season as he scored in three of his first four games. The Huskies then played a tough Providence team to a scoreless draw in their home opener at Parsons Field on Sept. 15. The shutout win was the first of four consecutive shutouts that included a 1-0 win over Boston University on Sept. 23 and really established the great defense the Huskies had this season. Keeper Scott Partridge made four saves in his first shutout effort of the season against Providence. The Huskies ended their non-conference schedule with a 1-0 win against Boston University. Freshman Mike Kennedy converted an Ehrlich pass for his second goal of the season and his first of three game-winners on the year. Northeastern started conference play with a 1-0 win over James Madison at Parsons Field. NU’s Nick Lueders scored the game-winner in the 11th minute of the game when he fired a winding shot from 30 yards out that found the back of the net. Keeper Partridge received CAA Co-Player of the Week honors for his two shutout performances against BU and James Madison. The Huskies next battled to a 2-2 double overtime draw against Georgia State where Lars Okland netted a goal in the 65th minute to send the game into overtime. The next week had the Huskies win two games 2-0 over Hofstra and UNC Wilmington for their sixth shutout performance in the last seven games. Kennedy was the star of the week as he scored one goal and two assists to win CAA Rookie of the Week honors. Northeastern then played to two 1-1 double overtime ties against Towson and George Mason to reach an unbeaten streak of nine games, which broke the previous Husky record of six games in 2006. The Huskies received their first conference loss on Oct. 22 against Drexel in double overtime as the Dragons scored in the final 47 seconds of play to down the Huskies. Northeastern was the last team to record a loss in the CAA. NU ended the season with a 2-1-1 mark and in a four-way tie for second place in the CAA. The Huskies entered the tournament as the five-seed due to tiebreakers. In the CAA Quarterfinals, the Huskies played to a 0-0 double overtime tie, but won 5-4 on penalty kicks over Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The two teams failed to score a goal in the 110 minutes of regulation and overtime despite some good chances. Goalkeeper Scott Partridge made five saves in his ninth shutout effort of the season. In the penalty shootout, Northeastern found itself down to its final shot when Brendan Ennis stepped up to take his shot. He finessed his shot into the left corner to force a sudden death in the penalty shootout. Partridge made a save on ODU’s next shot and Matt Pentkowski found the back of the net to send Northeastern to the semifinals. The Huskies played to a second 0-0 double overtime tie, but prevailed again in the penalty shootout by a score of 5-3 in their semifinal match against the top seeded UNC Wilmington Seahawks. The two teams had great chances to win the game in the extra periods. NU’s Mike Kennedy had two chances as he tallied two shots on goal inside the box, but Seahawk keeper Brock Duckworth made some spectacular saves to preserve the shutout. Scott Partridge was great in goal as well as he made nine saves and kept the Seahawks off the board to record his 10th shutout of the season. The Huskies gained the advantage in the penalty shootout when UNCW’s Indy Smith missed high with his shot. The Huskies’ Brendan Ennis netted the game-winner to send NU to the CAA finals. In the CAA Final, Northeastern played a near-perfect game defensively for the fourth game in a row, but a Patriot goal in the 38th minute by Tournament MVP Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe proved to be the deciding goal in the match and thus ending the Huskies’ 2008 campaign.