CAMBRIDGE, Mass.   –  Meaghan Rowlett scored twice and the No. 14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers rallied for four second-half goals to overcome the University of Southern Maine Huskies in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship Tournament Sunday afternoon at Roberts Field.
 
MIT advances to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament and will play next weekend (time and opponent TBD). The loss concludes a remarkable season for the Huskies who claimed back-to-back Litlte East Conference regular season and tournament championships, shut out 14 opponents, and earned their first NCAA tournament win.
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (16-1-4)
No. 14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (20-3-1)
 
MIT is undefeated at home this season at 14-0.  The Huskies ended their season with a strong 5-2-4 record on the road.  The Huskies faced five nationally-ranked opponents on the road this season, and were 2-2-1.
 
How It Happened:

• Southern Maine took the 1-0 lead in the seventh minute on a strike from junior Julia McKenna (Windham, Maine).  Senior Catriona Gould (Freeport, Maine) ran onto a ball on the left side, carried it center and laid a square ball in front of the goal, and McKenna hit a one-time shot to the far post for her ninth goal of the season.  
• Making five first-half saves, senior goalkeeper Breanna Atwood (Franklin, Mass.) preserved the Husky lead despite Southern Maine being outshot 10-4 in the first half.
• Rowlett brought her team level and then scored the go-ahead goal less than a minute apart in the second half.  Rowlett scored the equalizer in the 55^th minute, and then collected a rebounded ball in the 56^th for a 2-1 MIT advantage.
• The score remained unchanged until the 71^st minute when the Engineers were awarded a free kick just outside of the penalty box.  MIT's Sean Luk scored on the kick, making it 3-1.  MIT put the game-out of reach for the Huskies in the 79^th minute when Kaitlin Zareno carried the ball up the right and hit a shot to the far left corner for the final.

The Goalkeepers:
SM, Breanna Atwood (16-1-4), 90:00, 4 GA, 7 Saves
No. 14 MIT, Morgan Everett (17-3-1), 1 GA, 7 Saves
 
Inside The Stats:

• McKenna's goal is her ninth of the season. She finished 2023 with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.  In her career (42 games), McKenna has 21 goals and nine assists for 51 points. 
• Gould's assist is her sixth of the season.  She has a team-leading 14 goals and six assists for 34 points in 2023.  She has 43 goals and 17 assists for 103 career points.  Gould is tied for the program record in career goals and is second all-time in career points.  Ciera Berthiaume '22 has the points record of 106 (43 g, 20 a, 106 pts).

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine concludes its 2023 campaign with a record of 16-2-4. The Huskies were 6-0-2 in the Little East Conference, and were the 2023 Little East Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions. 
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