GORHAM, Maine  - Senior Eliza Roy (Camden, Maine/Camden Hills) scored 26 seconds into regulation and senior Catriona Gould (Freeport, Maine) scored a brace to lead the top-seed University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Western Connecticut State University Wolves in the title game of the 2023 Little East Conference Championship Tournament Saturday afternoon at Hannaford Field.
 
With the win, Southern Maine collects back-to-back Little East Conference crowns and earns the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.  The NCAA Division III Women's Soccer selection show is Monday at 1:30 pm. 
 
Husky sophomore Riley Reitchel (Palermo, Maine/Erskine Academy) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, totalling two goals and two assists over two games. She has an assist on the Huskies first and second goal of today's game.
 
The Records:
No. 2 Western Connecticut State (10-8-4)
No. 1 Southern Maine (15-1-4)
 
Today's game marked the 36^th meeting between the Western Connecticut State University Wolves and the University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Southern Maine has won the last three meetings between the two schools, defeating the Wolves 3-2 in a dramatic come-from-behind finish during the 2023 regular season, and a 3-1 overtime win over WestConn in last year's Little East Conference Championship game.  WestConn leads the overall series 32-4.  Today's game is the first time Southern Maine has shutout WestConn.
 
 
How It Happened:

• The Huskies got off to a quick start, winning the ball after the kick off.  After a strong holding play from Roy, she laid it off to Gould who drove at the center of the Wolves' defense.  Finding Rietchel to the right side, Gould received a well weighted through ball from Reitchel and then touched it through square into the box for an easy tap-in for Roy just 26 seconds into regulation for a 1-0 USM lead.
• Gould doubled the Huskies' lead in the 11^th minute, benefitting again from an outstanding effort from Reitchel, who collected a loose ball and drove down the right side of the field, slotting the ball to the far post.  Gould beat the Wolves' defense to the ball and tucked it into the back of the net for a 2-0 Husky lead.
• Not done, Gould quickly wrapped up the brace in the 19^th minute with an outstanding strike from just outside of the 18 for a 3-0 Southern Maine lead. Collecting the ball on the left side, Gould beat her defender with a fake to the left, cutting inside and then hit an upper-90 far post shot past the diving save attempt from the WestConn keeper. 
• Southern Maine outshot WestConn 25-8 in the contest, and 13-5 on frame. USM also had a 4-3 lead in corner kicks.

 
The Goalkeepers:
WC, Gracen Regan (9-7-3), 90:00, 3 GA, 10 Saves
SM, Breanna Atwood (15-1-4), 90:00, 0 GA, 5 Saves
 
Inside The Stats:

• The tournament's Most Oustanding Player, Reitchel had two goals in the Huskies 3-0 semifinal win over UMass Boston, and had two assists in today's championship. Rietchel has nine  goals and 11 assists for 29 points.  
• Gould's brace in today's game gives her 43 career goals. She is now tied for the program record for goals in a career with recent Husky standout Ciera Berthiaume.  Gould has 14 goals and four assists so far this season.
• Making five saves in the shutout, Atwood's win is the 41st of her career. She is 41-9-6 overall. Her shutout is her 11th of the season and program-best 26^th of her career.  Today's shutout ties her own single-season record for shutouts in a season.
• The Huskies have shut out 13 of their opponents in 2023 and have allowed just 13 total goals all season for a combined 0.65 goals against average.
• Today's win is the 66^th in the career of Husky head coach Seth Benjamin '01.  Benjamin is 66-24-9 in five seasons (six years, no 2020 season).  His 66 wins are the program's record for wins by a head coach. Steven Quinones had 65 wins over eight seasons (65-69-9). Benjamin is currently the program's all-time winningest coach with a .718 win percentage.

 
Up Next:
The 2023 regular season champion and number one seed in the tournament, Southern Maine advances to the NCAA Division III National Champion Tournament for the second consecutive season and the second time in program history.  The 2023 NCAA DIII women's soccer selection show and bracket release will stream live on NCAA.com at 1:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 6.
The tournament consists of a classic 64-team field, dedicating 42 slots to automatic qualifiers and the remaining 22 berths to at-large candidates chosen by the selection committee. Four semifinalists will advance to Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia, where Roanoke College will host the final two rounds of the tournament on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2.
The complete schedule for the 2023 DIII women's soccer tournament:

• First/second rounds: Friday-Sunday, Nov. 10-12 at campus sites*
• Sectional rounds: Friday-Sunday, Nov. 17-19 at campus sites*
• Semifinals: Thursday, Nov. 30 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia
• National championship: Saturday, Dec. 2 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia

* Host institutions with a Sunday no-play policy will compete on Friday & Saturday
 
 
 
           
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