GORHAM, Maine – Wrapping up the regular season with a 3-1 road win at home over Plymouth State University, the University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's soccer team claimed the no. 4 seed and a home playoff berth in the 2026 Little East Conference women's soccer championship tournament. The Huskies regular-season ending win featured a pair of goals from first-years
Mia Wetzel (Oviedo, Fla.) and Emily Phillip (Baié-d'Urfe, Quebec).
The Huskies are the defending 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2026 Little East Conference tournament champions. Southern Maine (LEC) will host no. 5 Rhode Island (LEC) in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Hannaford Field on Saturday, October 31 (1:00 pm). Rhode Island College.
Southern Maine is 3-1 at home this season against conference opponents, defeating Vermont State University Castleton in its last home game on October 17. The Huskies have outscored their opponents 9-3 in LEC contests at home this season.
Scoring 29 goals this season, the Huskies are led by sophomore
Lexi Morin (Brunswick, Maine) with nine goals and four assists for 22 points. Second in goals scored in the LEC, Morin is third in points. She has three game-winning goals this season. Starting up to eight freshman this season, the Huskies have also received strong offensive contributions from rookies
Maya Ingles (Saint Paul, Minn.) (4 goals, 2 assists),
Mia Wetzel (Oviedo, Fla.) (1 goal, 4 assists), and
Kate Hester (Austin, Texas).
Defensively, the Huskies are led by junior captain
Kadin Davoren (Yarmouth, Maine), and junior
Taryn Curry (Raymond, Maine/Freeport). Both Davoren and Curry have scored points for the Huskies this season, and have led the Huskies to four shutouts this season. Freshman backs
Sierra Jepson, Emily Phillip,
Lizzy Neal have also been key contributors.
The Huskies have relied on a pair of well-worked first-year goalkeepers this season: freshman
McKenzie Vano (Trumbull, Conn.) and junior
Kaylee Vasiloff (Cave Cree, Ariz./Cactus Shadows). Vano has 11 starts with a .728 save percentage and 59 saves. She has conference wins against UMass Dartmouth, Keene State, and a draw with WestConn. Vasiloff backstopped USM to its win over Plymouth State, and has out-of-conference wins over UMaine Farmington, and Rivier. Vasiloff has a .737 save percentage and 28 saves.
Tying regular-season champion Eastern Connecticut 1-1 to close its regular season, Rhode Island College has 20 goals in 2026 and is led by Sarah Pimentel's five goals and three assists. Two of Pimental's goals are game-winners, including the Anchormen's deciding goal in a home win over Southern Maine in September. Goalkeeper Nicole Nunes has featured in net for all of the RIC games this season, posting seven shutouts and a 1.12 goals against average with an .802 save percentage.
2026 Little East Conference Championship
Who: No.4 Southern Maine vs. No. 5 Rhode Island College
When: Saturday, October 31, 2026 (1:00 pm)
Where: University of Southern Maine, Gorham, Maine – Hannaford Field
What: 2026 Little East Conference Women's Soccer Championship Tournament Quarterfinal
No. 1 Southern Maine (13-2-3, 7-0-1 Little East)
Championships: 4 (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
LEC Tournament Record: 14-11-0 (.560), 16 appearances
Finals Appearances: 4 Finals Record: 4-0 Last Finals Appearance: 2025
Players to Watch:
Lexi Morin (9g, 4a, 22 pt);
Maya Ingles (4g, 2a, 10 pts);
Marie Benoit (3g, 3a, 9 pts);
Mia Wetzel (1g, 4a, 6 pts);
Kadin Davoren (0g, 4a, 4 pts)
Goalkeeping:
McKenzie Vano (3-7-1), 2.16 GAA, .728 Save Percentage, 59 Saves;
Kaylee Vasiloff (3-2-1), 1.95 GAA, .737 Save Percentage, 28 Saves
No. 5 Rhode Island College
Championships: None
LEC Tournament Record: 5-10 (.333), 11 appearances
Finals Appearances: none Finals Record: 0-0 Last Finals Appearance: none
Players to Watch: Sarah Pimental (5g, 3a, 13 pts); Isabella DiGioia (2 g, 2 a, 6 pts), Talia Cost (2g, 1 a, 5 pts)
Goalkeeping: Nicole Nunes (8-6-3), 1.12 GAA, .802 Save Percentage, 77 Saves, 7 Shutouts
2026 LEC Championship Field
- Eastern Connecticut (11-2-2, 6-0-2)
- UMass Boston (6-5-4, 5-2-1)
- WestConn (6-4-7, 4-1-3)
- Southern Maine (8-9-2, 4-3-1)
- Rhode Island College (8-6-3, 3-2-3)
- Keene State (6-7-4, 3-3-2)
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