GORHAM, Maine – Receiving 22 points, the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's soccer team was voted to finish seventh in the 2025 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Pool. With six first-place votes and 62 points, the UMass Boston Beacons were picked to finish first, while Western Connecticut received a pair of first-place votes and 56 points to place second. Rounding out the top three, Rhode Island College earned 51 points and the final first-place vote.
Beginning its third season under the leadership of head coach
Jim Hopkins '00, the Huskies are looking to continue their forward progress as the 2025 regular season approaches. In 2023, Southern Maine earned the program's first qualification for the Little East Conference Tournament Championship since 2018, and just the program's fourth overall appearance. The Huskies narrowly missed out on the 2024 tournament finishing the season with a record of 1-5-2 in the Little East.
With more than 30 student-athletes on the roster for 2025, Hopkins will rely on a mix of veteran leadership and newcomers in his third season in Gorham. Among the returning veterans are captains senior
Asa Farley (Gorham, Maine), sophomore
Gabe Wagner (Freeport, Maine) and junior
Liam Conneely (Weymouth, Mass.). All three featured as regulars in the Huskies' defense last season with Conneely earning All-Little East Conference honors. Southern Maine also returns crafty midfielder junior
Jack Brady (Jensen Beach, Fla.) and sophomore
Martin Kelly (Portland, Maine/Portland). Conneely, Brady, Farley and Kelly combined for 17 of the Huskies' 31 points in 2024.
Southern Maine opens its 2025 campaign at home on Friday, August 29 (1:00 pm) vs UMaine Fort Kent. The Huskies and Bengals battled to 2-2 draw in 2024.
| 2025 Little East Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (FPV) |
| 1. |
UMass Boston |
62 points |
(6) |
| 2. |
Western Connecticut |
56 points |
(2) |
| 3. |
Rhode Island College |
51 points |
(1) |
| 4 |
Eastern Connecticut |
40 points |
|
| 5. |
VTSU-Castleton |
31 points |
|
| 6. |
Keene State |
30 points |
|
| 7. |
Southern Maine |
22 points |
|
| 8. |
Plymouth State |
20 points |
|
| 9. |
UMass Dartmouth |
12 points |
|
-cac-
