Northeastern men’s soccer surge has Western flavor
Thanks in part to the contributions of five area players, the Northeastern University men’s soccer team has bounced back from a 1-5 start to win six of its last seven matches, all by shutouts, and vault to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association standings.
The Huskies made it four straight victories last Saturday with a 3-0 decision over Old Dominion. Freshman midfielder Andre Ciliotta of Needham recorded two assists and senior forward Matt Laning of Southborough (Algonquin Regional) scored his first goal of the season.
They are joined on the roster by junior forward Nick Leuders and junior defender Jeremy Klein, both Needham High graduates, and freshman midfielder Josh Danesh of Brookline (Gann Academy).
A soccer star in Peru whose family now lives in Needham, Ciliotta was leading the Huskies with 6 assists and 12 points (he had also scored 3 goals), Leuders had four goals and two assists, and Danesh a pair of goals, both game-winners.
“I had the pleasure of coaching Andre and Josh in the past with the FC Greater Boston Bolts,’’ said NU head coach Brian Ainscough.
“Andre is remarkably skilled offensively . . . and Josh has exceeded our expectations. He’s shown great maturity for a lad in his first year.’’ Ainscough’s assistants include former Boston College stars Adam Pfeifer (Newton North) and Bobby Thompson (Framingham High).
“Matt has been a jack of all trades for us and has great athletic ability, an incredible competitive drive and an instinct for the attack, Nick is putting all the pieces together this year, finishing off and creating for others, and Jeremy has really stepped up his performance this year and has a tremendous understanding of the game,’’ added Ainscough, whose team played at CAA foe Delaware yesterday.
A member of the International and New England Tennis Halls of Fame who has covered 148 major championships, many for the Globe, Collins had a 48-16 coaching record at Brandeis from 1959-’63, including a 7-0 season.
The other inductees are: Theresa Ceriello (Class of 2003), Kevin Curtin (’84), Marc Eisenstock (’72), Virginia Lypscon Richburg (’81), Tim Morehouse (2000), Michael Novaria (’91), and Donald Soffer (’54).
Ceriello is the first volleyball player to be inducted and Curtin was a cross-country All-American. Eisenstock, who played all nine positions on the baseball team, is a former president of Friends of Brandeis Athletics.
Richburg was the first woman in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in track & field, Morehouse was an NCAA Saber Fencer of the Year, Novaria holds two single-season men’s soccer scoring records, and Soffer was the football team’s defensive captain for two seasons. In 2007, he made the largest single donation to the university by an alumnus.
Tickets are available on line at www.brandeisjudges.com/foba/halloffame/rsvp.
His total of 101 is five shy of the school record going into tomorrow night’s Northeast-10 Conference game at Southern Connecticut.
Honored as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season, Loiseau was selected to the All-State Super 26 Team while at Shrewsbury High, where he set a team record with 136 tackles his senior season . . .
Westfield State College freshman John Dacey of Franklin finished first at last Saturday’s Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Men’s
Dacey’s 26:55.48 time over 5 miles earned him MASCAC Runner and Rookie of the Year honors.
Other top 10 finishers included Westfield State freshman Anthony Frissora of Shrewsbury (5th), Fitchburg State senior Kyle Schaeffer of Hudson (7th), and Bridgewater State junior Ryan D’Arcangelo of Norfolk (10th). . .
Newton North High graduate Eddie Vachon, a running back who leads the Stonehill College football team with 48 points and 1,015 all-purpose yards, scored on a 4-yard screen pass with 36 seconds to play last Saturday to give the Skyhawks a 31-28 win over Saint Anselm. He rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries and also caught four passes. Teammate Clark Leger of Waltham (Trinity Catholic) had a key fumble recovery, his team-best fourth of the season.
Marvin Pave can be reached at marvin.pave@rcn.com. 
