The University of Maine women’s soccer team will make the program’s NCAA Tournament debut against Harvard University on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
UMaine claimed its first ever America East Tournament championship on Sunday with a 3-2 double-overtime win over UMass Lowell.
The Black Bears will take an 11-1-6 record to Harvard.
Harvard, 12-3-2, won the Ivy League tourney title with wins over Princeton (4-2) and Columbia (3-0).
Princeton and Columbia earned at-large berths to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.
The winner of the UMaine-Harvard game will take on the winner of the Michigan State-Ohio University contest in the next round.
“It’s a good draw for us,” said Scott Atherley, who is in his 24th season at the helm.
“They’re a team that really likes to play [a possession game] and that’s good for us,” added Atherley, who noted that having played Harvard a few years ago and not having to travel far are both beneficial to the team.
Sophomore striker Julie Lossius is excited for the matchup.
“We had a great season and we’re ready for this. We will go down there and get some good training sessions in to get acclimated,” Lossius said.
Junior midfielder Lara Kirkby, who scored the game-winner against UMass Lowell and was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, said it will be a good challenge for the team.
“They’re a technical team and they’re going to be fierce competition but we can win and we’ll see how far we can go in this tournament,” Kirkby added.
Goalie Kira Kutzinski was a freshman at Maine six years ago for the Black Bears’ victory over Harvard.
“They’re a great team. It’s going to be an interesting matchup,” Kutzinski said. “It will be exciting to get to play them because I was on the bench that day.”