GORHAM, Maine – Closing out the Little East Conference regular-season by securing home field for the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win against Plymouth State University, the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's soccer team claimed the no. 4 seed and a home playoff berth for the upcoming Little East Conference Championship Tournament.
Southern Maine (6-5-7 overall, 3-2-3 Little East) is making its third appearance in the Little East Conference tournament since the 2023 season, and just the fifth appearance overall. The Huskies' home playoff game is the second consecutive for Southern Maine since earning a home game in the 2025 season for the first time since 2008, and marks the third playoff appearance for the Huskies in the four-season tenure of head coach
Jim Hopkins '00.
The Huskies will begin their 2025 Little East Conference Tournament Championship at home on Hannaford Field against No. 5 UMass Dartmouth (7-7-3, 3-3-2) on Saturday, October 31 (4:00 pm). The winner of the Southern Maine vs. UMass Dartmouth quarterfinal match-up will advance to the semifinals and will face No. 1 WestConn on Wednesday, November 4.
Southern Maine traveled to UMass Dartmouth on September 12 during the 2026 regular season. Both the Huskies and Corsairs battled to a 0-0 draw. Southern Maine outshot the Corsairs 10-6 in the contest, and senior goalkeeper
Gabe Wagner (Freeport, Maine) earned the shutout with a pair of saves.
Scoring 21 goals this season, five Huskies have found the back of the net in 2026 led by junior
Alex Graver (Freeport, Maine) who has a team-best 10 goals for 20 points. Graver is followed by senior
Cole Johnson (Orange, Mass./Ralph C. Mahar) who has eight goals and one assist for 17 points. Graver and Johnson combined for both USM goals in their win over PSU to claim home field.
Defensively, the Huskies are led by senior
Liam Conneely and
Ahmed Al Mshakheel (Baghdad, Iraq/Biddeford), junior
Connor Leclerc (Windham, Maine) and bolstered by strong first-year performer
Boston Enggass (Camden, Maine). Al Mshakheel has four assists this season, while Leclerc has two. Holding their opponents to a 1.00 goals against average, the Huskies have had eight shutouts this season.
Wagner, the 2025 Little East Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, has remained on form. Posting a career-best six shutouts this season, Wagner has a .773 save percentage and a 1.03 goals against average. Four of his six shutouts have come against conference opponents where his save percentage jumps to .833 with a 0.63 GAA.
Averaging 1.41 goals per game, UMD is led by Claudio Ramos (five goals) and Nick Scanlon (four goals). The Corsairs average 14.6 shots per game. EJ Corliss has served as UMD's primary shot-stopper in 2026, playing over 1000 minutes. With three shutouts to his credit, Corliss has a .750 save percentage and a 1.42 goals against average.
2026 Little East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Championship Field
- Western Connecticut 12-3-5 (7-0-1 LEC)
- UMass Boston 8-5-1 (5-2-1 LEC)
- Rhode Island College 5-5-5, (4-1-3 LEC)
- Southern Maine 6-5-7 (3-2-3 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth 7-7-3 (3-3-2 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut 6-5-3 (2-4-2 LEC)
Who: No. 4 Southern Maine vs No. 5 UMass Dartmouth
When: Saturday, October 31, 2026 – 4:00 pm
Where: Hannaford Field, University of Southern Maine – Gorham, Maine.
What: 2026 Little East Conference Men's Soccer Championship Tournament Quarterfinal
Southern Maine (6-5-7, 3-2-3 Little East)
Championships: none
LEC Tournament Record: 0-5-0, 5 appearances
Finals Appearances: 0
Finals Record: NA
Last Finals Appearance: None
Players to Watch:
Goalkeeping:
UMass Dartmouth (7-7-3, 3-3-2 LEC)
Championships: None
LEC Tournament Record: 4-8, 11 appearances
Finals Appearances: 5
Finals Record: 0-4
Last Finals Appearance: 2013
Players to Watch: Claudio Ramos (5g, 0a, 10pts); Nick Scanlon (4g, 1a, 9pts); Daniel Jordan (3g, 2a, 8 pts); Pedro Dos Santos (2g, 1a, 5 pts)
Goalkeeping: EJ Corliss (4-5-2), 1.42 GAA, 0.750 Save Percentage, 48 saves, three shutouts
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