GORHAM, Maine – Nine members of the 2023 Little East Conference Champion University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's soccer team earned post-season all-conference honors. Seniors
Mia Sargent (Portland, Maine/Deering) and
Breanna Atwood (Franklin, Mass.) repeated as the Little East Conference's Defensive Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively.
Both Atwood and Sargent were named to the All-Little East Conference first team, and were joined by senior forward
Catriona Gould (Freeport, Maine), and junior midfielder
Julia McKenna (Windham, Maine). Sophomore forward
Riley Reitchel (Palermo, Maine/Erskine Academy) and senior back
Sarah Lowell (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) were both named to the second team, while senior
Eliza Roy (Camden, Maine), junior
Kiki Huntress (Kittery Point, Maine/Traip Academy) and sophomore
Cierra Hill (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) were named third team All-Little East Conference.
Atwood is earning the Little East Conference's Goalkeeper of the Year honor for the second consecutive season. Named the LEC's Goalkeeper of the Week five times during the season, Atwood has had a career season tying her own single-season record for shutouts in the season (11), en route to becoming the program's all-time leader in shutouts with 26 so far in her career. Making a five save in the LEC Championship game to earn her 11
th shutout of 2023, Atwood enters the NCAA tournament with a 0.57 goals against average and a career best .890 save percentage. Earning first team All-LEC honors for the second consecutive season, Atwood is 41-9-6 in her career, and is sixth in the nation in shutouts, 19
th in save percentage, and 30
th in goals against average. Atwood is an Exercise Science major.
A three-time All-Little East Conference pick as the Huskies' center back, Sargent repeats as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and holds the distinction of being the only Huskies' women's soccer player to earn that honor. Named the LEC's Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2023, Sargent logged the most minutes of any field player of the Huskies, and led a defense that compiled 13 shutouts and limited its opponents to a 0.650 goals against average – which was tops in the Little East Conference and is ranked 46
th national. Sargent has a goal and two assists to her credit this season, and is an Biology major. She earned second team honors in 2021, and is a back-to-back first team pick in 2022, and 2023.
Now a three-time All-LEC selection for the Huskies, Gould is earning her second selection to the All-LEC first team after earning second team honors in 2021. Leading the Huskies offensively with 14 goals and four assists for 32 points, Gould tied the Huskies' program record for goals in a career, scoring a brace in USM's 3-0 win over WestConn in the championship game. Already the program's single-season record holder for goals (20) and points (47) in a season, Gould is five points shy of the school record for points. Gould was named the Division III United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week on October 4 after scoring five goals and adding as assist in a three-game week. Gould is a Human Biology major.
McKenna earned a spot on the first team for the second consecutive season after contributing eight goals and seven assists for 23 points. Scoring three game-winning goals during the season, including the goal that clinched the Huskies' regular season title, McKenna was second on the Huskies' in assists, and scored 10 of her 23 points against conference opponents. The 2022 Rookie of the Year in conference, McKenna has 20 goals and nine assists for 49 points in her 40-game career. She is a Sports Management major.
Named the LEC tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring two goals and passing off two assists in the semifinal and finals, Reitchel is earning post-season honors for the first time in her career with a selection to the LEC second team. The Huskies' second leading goal scorer with nine goals, Reitchel leads Southern Maine with 11 assists for 29 points. A crafty winger with speed, Reitchel scored 14 of her points against conference opponents. Netting four-game winners, she was the deciding factor in USM's 1-0 win over Eastern Connecticut to start the conference season. A standout on the Huskies' track & field team, Reitchel is a Linguistics major.
The other half of the Huskies' powerful center back duo, Lowell is earning post-season honors for the first time in her career. One of the Huskies' captains, Lowell was named the LEC Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2023. Serving up two assists in 2023, Lowell helped organize a defense that held opponents scoreless on 13 occassions and limited its LEC opposition to just five goals. Lowell is a nursing major.
Huntress, a three-year starter, played the third most minutes this season behind Atwood and Sargent. She is earning third team All-LEC for the second consecutive season. A critical fixture in the central midfield, Huntress' ability to win the ball, shut down opponents' attacks and make big plays in the air was critical to the Huskies' success this season. Named the Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Week twice during the season, Huntress turned in three full 90 performances for the Huskies. She has one goal on the season and four goals and five assists in her career. Huntress is an Art major.
Scoring eight goals and passing off five assists for 21 points in 2023, Roy is earning All-Conference honors for the first time in her career as a member of the LEC third team. Three of Roy's goals went for game-winners during the season, including the 1-0 marker against then No. 22 Brandeis University. During the LEC tournament, Roy had a goal and an assist, including the first goal of the Huskies' 3-0 win over WestConn in the championship game. In two seasons with the Huskies, Roy has nine goals and seven assists. For her career (Wellesley), she has 19 goals and 13 assists. Roy is a Health Sciences major.
Earning third team all-conference honors for the second time in her career, Hill has become a fixture in the midfield playing and starting 15 games this season. Scoring one goal this season, Hill played a critical role in bridging the Huskies' offense and defense throughout the season. Hill is an Exercise Science major.
Making its second appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, Southern Maine will face No. 11 Rowan University at MIT's Roberts Field on Saturday, November 11 (1:30 pm). The Huskies are back-to-back Little East Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions (2022, 2023).
| 2023 Women's Soccer All-Little East Conference |
| Offensive Player of the Year |
Myah Croze |
Western Connecticut |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Mia Sargent |
Southern Maine |
| Goalkeeper of the Year |
Breanna Atwood |
Southern Maine |
| Rookie of the Year |
Sophia Onek |
Western Connecticut |
| Coaching Staff of the Year |
Rhode Island College |
|
|
|
|
| First Team All-Conference |
|
|
| Goalkeeper |
Breanna Atwood |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Suzana Imetovski |
Western Connecticut |
| Forward |
Catriona Gould |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Kaylee Haynes |
UMass Boston |
| Midfield |
Myah Croze |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Julia McKenna |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Andrea Rivera |
UMass Boston |
| Midfield |
Marissa Ruzzano |
Rhode Island College |
| Defense |
Mia Sargent |
Southern Maine |
| Defense |
Julia DePalma |
Western Connecticut |
| Defense |
Alexa Skinner |
Keene State |
| Defense |
Caleigh Sullivan |
UMass Boston |
|
|
|
| Second Team All-Conference |
|
|
| Goalkeeper |
Sonia Moritz |
Keene State |
| Forward |
Tayla Salome |
Rhode Island College |
| Forward |
Riley Reitchel |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Devine Riley |
Keene State |
| Midfield |
Sophia Onek |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Alexis Billings |
VTSU Castleton |
| Midfield |
Elizabeth Kopicko |
Keene State |
| Midfield |
Elizabeth Tschudin |
Keene State |
| Defense |
Grace Muller |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Defense |
Sarah Lowell |
Southern Maine |
| Defense |
Karen Johnson-Hoffman |
Rhode Island College |
| Defense |
Giuliana Stolfi |
Keene State |
|
|
|
| Third Team All-Conference |
|
|
| Goalkeeper |
Isabella O'Connell |
UMass Boston |
| Forward |
Molly Bellmore |
Plymouth State |
| Forward |
Eliza Roy |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Kyla Norton |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Kiki Huntress |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Nevaeh Petruzzi |
Plymouth State |
| Midfield |
Cierra Hill |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Elia Velez |
UMass Boston |
| Defense |
Hannah Daley |
Western Connecticut |
| Defense |
Anna Balkus |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Defense |
Veronica Block |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Defense |
Kaylee Tackson |
Western Connecticut |
-cac-
