CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior
Mia Sargent (Portland, Maine/Deering) and sophomore
Riley Reitchel (Palermo, Maine/Erskine Academy) each scored a goal and senior
Breanna Atwood (Franklin, Mass.) made six saves to propel the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 2-0 win over No. 10 Rowan University Profs in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament Saturday afternoon at MIT.
With the win, Southern Maine advances to the second round of the NCAA tourney and will face host No. 14 MIT at 1pm on Sunday. Making just the program's second appearance in the NCAA tournament, Southern Maine's shutout win over the Profs marks the first NCAA tournament win in program history for the Huskies. Now 16-1-4, the Huskies earned the berth to the NCAA tournament as the Little East Conference's regular season and tournament champion – a title it has held back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
The Records:
Southern Maine (16-1-4-)
No. 10 Rowan University (14-2-2)
How It Happened:
- Southern Maine was on its heels in the opening minutes of the contest as Rowan put two shots on the board, and then earned a penalty kick with just 6:30 off of the clock. However, Atwood made the first of several outstanding saves, putting a stamp on the game early making a diving stop to her left to deny Profs' Sarah Bergan's penalty attempt to keep the score 0-0.
- Rowan outshot the Huskies 13-3 in the opening half, but only put three shots on the target. All three of the Huskies attempts were on frame.
- With the clock winding down into the final two minutes of the first half, freshman Maya Bermudez (West Haven, Conn.) was tackled inside the box on the right side drawing the foul and earning a penalty kick. Sargent stepped to the spot and laced a low driven shot to the right corner past the diving attempt of Rowan goalkeeper Calista Burke for the 1-0 Southern Maine lead in the 44th minute.
- With a more even second half, as both teams registered nine shots, Southern Maine was able to double its advantage to 2-0 in the 61st minute. Senior Catriona Gould (Freeport, Maine) ran onto a ball played to the left side, and drove to the endline. Cutting the ball inside and laying it off in front of the goal, Reitchel was able to knock in her 10th goal of the season for a more comfortable two goal margin.
- Reitchel nearly made it 3-0 in the 86th minute launching a powerful shot from the right side, but Burke was able to contain the ball for the save. The Profs had a pair of chances in the 87th and 90th minute, but Atwood was able to come up with saves on both to preserve the shutout. Atwood's diving stop to her right in the 87th minute on Rowan's Mackenzie Clement was the Profs' best chance of the half.
The Goalkeepers:
SM, Breanna Atwood (16-1-4), 90:00, 0 GA, 6 Saves
RU, Calista Burke (14-2-2), 90:00, 2 GA, 6 Saves
Inside The Stats:
- Today's shutout was the Huskies' 14th of the season and third consecutive. Southern Maine has outscored its opponents 8-0 in three post-season games. Atwood (16-1-4) has 12 shutouts on the season, breaking her own single-season record of 11 set in 2022. Atwood has a .896 save percentage in 2023 with a 0.55 goals against average. As a team, USM is allowing 0.62 goals per game.
- Reitchel's goal gives her 10 on the season. The Huskies' sophomore, the 2023 LEC Tournament MVP, has 10 goals and 11 assists for 31 points. She has three goals and two assists in three post-season games.
- Gould's assist is her fifth of the season. She has a team-leading 14 goals and five assists for 33 points so far in 2023. She has 43 goals and 16 assists for 102 career points. Gould is tied for the program record in career goals and is second all-time in career points. Ciera Berthiaum '22 has the points record of 106 (43 g, 20 a, 106 pts).
- Sargent is 2-for-2 in penalty kicks this season. The two-time Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, has two goals and two assists this season. Her penalty kick in today's game was the game-winner – the first of her career. In her career, she is 7-for-8 all-time in penalty attempts.
Up Next:
Southern Maine advances to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship Tournament. The Huskies will face host No. 14 MIT at 1 pm on Sunday. The winner will advance to the NCAA Sectionals next weekend (time and opponent TBD).
-cac-
