DANBURY, Conn. – The fourth-seed University of Southern Maine Huskies rallied with three unanswered second-half goals but were unable to overcome a four-goal first-half deficit as the top-seed WestConn Wolves held for a 4-3 win over the Huskies in the semifinal round of the 2026 Little East Conference men's soccer tournament Wednesday evening at the Western Athletic Complex.
WestConn will host UMass Boston for the 2026 LEC title on Saturday. The winner will earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III National Championship.
Seniors
Jonah Naratil (Porter, Maine/Sacopee Valley),
Liam Conneely (Weymouth, Mass.) and
Cole Johnson (Orange, Mass./Ralph C. Mahar) each had second half goals for the Huskies.
The Records:
No. 4 Southern Maine (7-6-7)
No. 1 WestConn (13-3-5)
Today's game marked the 36th meeting between the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Western Connecticut State University Wolves. WestConn leads the overall series 26-9-1. The Wolves defeated Southern Maine 1-0 earlier this season in Gorham. The Huskies earned a 1-1 draw in Danbury in 2023, but WestConn is 15-0-1 against the Huskies since a 1-0 loss in September of 2011 in Connecticut.
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How It Happened:
- WestConn's Nickolas Santana had a first-half hat trick, scoring three goals in the opening 30 minutes, and Lucas Fernandez added a fourth in the 39th minute to put the Wolves ahead by a four-goal margin in the opening half.
- The Huskies had good looks at the goal in the opening half, but WestConn starter Aime Ruggles made a save on senior Jack Brady's (Stuart, Fla.) attempt in the 20th, and Johnson's bid in the 12th glanced off of the crossbar.
- Naratil put the Huskies on the board in the 54th minute with his second goal of the season. Collecting a loose ball outside of the box, Naratil put a strong shot on frame and hit the far post for the 4-1 game. Junior Alex Graver (Freeport, Maine) nearly made it 4-2 moments later but his attempt hit off the crossbar and away.
- Graver did help create a goal in the 68th, sending a smart ball out wide to the left into the path of Conneely who did well to control the ball, touch into the area and score far post for a 4-2 game. The goal marked Conneely's second goal in as many games for the Huskies.
- Johnson made it a one-goal game in the 77th with a gritty individual effort on the left side. After carrying the ball into the box and into traffic, Johnson fought through traffic to get a foot on the ball and send it far post from a tough angle.
- Trailing by a goal with about 13 minutes to play, the Huskies battled the Wolves back-and-forth. The Huskies earned a corner kick and had two shots towards goal in the final minutes but each bid went wide of net for the 4-3 final.
The Goalkeepers:
SM:
Gabe Wagner, 89:00, (6-5-5) 4 GA, 7 Saves;
Owen Burns, 11:00, 0 GA, 1 Save
WC: Aime Ruggles, 45:00, (12-0-2) 0 GA, 1 Save; Makai Smith, 45:00, 3 GA, 2 Saves
Inside The Stats:
- Southern Maine and WestConn were fairly even in shots with the Wolves holding a 15-14 lead (12-7 on goal). Both teams had three corners in the game. WestConn outshot the Huskies 9-5 in the first half, and Southern Maine reversed it in the second 9-6
- The Huskies' three goals against WestConn are the first multiple-goal game against the Wolves since a 3-0 Southern Maine win in 2010 in Gorham.
Up Next:
The loss concludes Southern Maine's 2026 season.
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