Auburn, ME - Another fall season and another familiar playoff run for the Mustangs and this one looks exactly like it did a year ago, Central Maine in 4th place hosting #5 Southern Maine for the opportunity to go into the Final Four as the #4 seed. The Mustangs will be looking to avenge last years 1-0 loss to the Seawolves that ended their season in the preliminary round in 2021.
Coach Rodriguez commented on this opportunity for a redo, "I told the team the other night that you don't always get a second chance at something like this and for our coaching staff and returning players, we've had to live with that early exit last season for a full year and it's been a big motivator for us in terms of how we have handled the slow, steady progress over the course of this season.We have a healthy and rested roster and we're peaking at the right time playing the best soccer we have played all season but this is going to be an extremely difficult and intense game with a lot of emotion on both sides."
The history of the CM v SM women's soccer matchup over the long run has been relatively one-sided with SM being the dominant team but that began to change back in 2019 when the two teams met in the Yankee Small College Conference Championship game where the Seawolves beat the Mustangs 1-0 in a tightly contested match. Coach Rodriguez added, "We have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Wells and the Southern Maine program. Ethan's a really good coach and they have a talented roster, their record and national ranking prove that. But we intentionally played an extremely difficult schedule this year to prepare us for this very moment and where we've flown under the radar most of the season, I think now is the time for us to show what we can do and I believe we are ready."
Fans can expect to see a fast paced and physical game with the season on the line for both teams.
The Mustangs hope to draw a huge crowd for this final home appearance of their 2022 season. Kickoff is 2pm, come early!!
