This column will be an occasional look at how we at WRBB cover Northeastern sports, as well as other assorted topics related to Huskies athletics. This week, the spotlight is on Northeastern’s soccer teams. Both the men’s and women’s sides are having tremendous seasons, but the scripts are radically different. First, we start with women’s soccer, whose unbeaten streak has ballooned to five games, just as the regular season comes to a close.

Last weekend, Northeastern clinched a playoff berth, and this Saturday is the most important regular-season game for women’s soccer, perhaps in program history. A year removed from a remarkable conference championship (in the first year that the team even advanced to the CAA tournament!), the Huskies will play Hofstra on Saturday for a chance to host the CAA tournament. WRBB’s Keith Lavon and Andrew Parente will provide play-by-play of Saturday’s match on GoNU.tv.

Even more significant in this run of success: there’s only one senior on this team who will leave at the end of the season – Liza Rebello. Everyone else will return, many for another two years. This could be an impressive stretch for women’s soccer at Northeastern, and Saturday’s game could give Huskies fans a treat. Much like the excitement of hosting the volleyball tournament last fall, last year’s NCAA games showed that, if you win, Huskies fans will return the favor bringing their passion and excitement for their team.

Meanwhile, it seems that men’s soccer has flown completely under the radar and yet currently sits alone in first place in the CAA. Perhaps it was the way they started the season – after a tight 1-0 win over Albany, NU proceeded to lose its next five games and slide into obscurity. However, since the start of conference play (honestly, at this level, isn’t that that all that matters?), they have gone 6-1 and sit three games away from hosting the CAA tournament themselves.

For the men’s side, they’re anchored by goalie Scott Partridge, who has pitched a remarkable four consecutive shutouts. Partridge stands to demolish NU’s single-season goals-against average that he set last year (0.98) with an amazing 0.47 GAA this season. If they remain in first place through their next three matches, it will place the CAA tournament at Parsons Field on homecoming weekend. The possibility of jammed grandstands on a home field to battle for the conference championship is probably all the motivation this team needs to get it done.

So, what does all of this have to do with WRBB? Many of our announcers have called soccer games this season – Keith Lavon, Andrew Parente, Ben Horner, and yours truly have all been at Parsons for games this year, and we’re hoping for more: If either or both soccer teams host the CAA tournament, WRBB will make every possible effort to bring you the games live. For Friday games, if Northeastern’s game takes place during the afternoon, WRBB will be there with live comprehensive coverage. For Sunday games, WRBB will be there to air the game in its entirety.

We’ll know the first outcome a potential twin regular-season championship this Saturday.

Alex Faust is the sports director for WRBB-FM. The views expressed are solely those of the author.

Alex Faust The Dog Pound Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer