The University of Southern Maine women’s soccer team will open its first-ever NCAA Division III Championship Tournament run versus Williams College, it was announced by the national office Monday. Massachusetts Institute of Technology will host the four-team regional, with dates and start times to be announced soon.
The Huskies enter their first-ever NCAA tournament with an overall record of 17-3-0 after posting wins over Castleton University and Western Connecticut State University to capture their first-ever Little East Conference tournament title, and with it the league’s automatic berth in the national tournament. LEC Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player Mia Sargent led a defensive unit that posted a shutout against the Spartans in their 2-0 semifinal win and yielded just one goal to the Wolves in a 3-1 overtime victory in the final.
Williams enters the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 10-4-2, and received an at-large berth in the national field after falling to Tufts in the NESCAC quarterfinals, 2-0. The Ephs are ranked No. 11 in the latest (November 1) United Soccer Coaches Poll and are ranked No. 25 in the current (November 1) D3soccer.com Poll.
The winner will take on the winner of the other First Round match between the host Engineers (14-5-2) and Sarah Lawrence College (14-3-3). MIT received an at-large berth following a 1-0 loss to Clark University in the NEWMAC semifinals, while the Gryphons won the Skyline Conference title with a PK triumph over Farmingdale State University.
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