Northeastern women beat Drexel

Northeastern saw points from five different players in their 4-1 win over Drexel on Thursday, including a hat trick from freshman Devin Petta. It was the first CAA conference game of the season for both teams.

The match began strong on both sides, as Northeastern established a solid offensive presence while Drexel worked on exploiting through their counter-attack. The Dragons got on the board first, when Alex Vazquez netted a ball in the 15th minute despite goalkeeper Stephanie Gordon getting her fingertips on the shot. The Huskies had good first-half chances, tallying four shots on goal, though they remained scoreless after 45 minutes.

The team made some changes during halftime, as much of the second half was spent in the Drexel end of the field. In the 54th minute, junior Kristen Blake made an impressive individual effort to tie the game at 1-1. It was Blake's first collegiate goal.

The Huskies continued the pressure, tallying 15 shots in the second half to Drexel's six.

Northeastern's offensive exploded with ten minutes remaining, as Petta tallied goals in the 82nd, 83rd and 87th minutes. The goals were assisted by Greta Samuelsdottir, Lesley Condie and Gabbi Jatkola, respectively. Petta's flurry shattered Northeastern's records for fastest hat trick and fastest two goals by an individual. The freshman now has 16 points in eight games this season.

Gordon made seven saves on the night as Northeastern advanced to 6-2-0 (1-0-0 CAA) on the season.

"We played a very strong second half," head coach Ed Matz said after the game. "I'm proud of the team to come from behind down here."

The Huskies will continue their CAA action this Sunday, at Parsons Field at 1 p.m., when they take on the Delaware Blue Hens.