GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine men's lacrosse placed ninth in the 2026 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Western Connecticut State edged out UMass Boston for the top spot by a point 60 to 59.
 
Head coach Sam Manders' team returns four of last season's top scorers led by junior midfielder Pat O'Driscoll (Biddeford, Maine). O'Driscoll scored a team-leading 20 goals last season and finished with 24 points. Three other Huskies, junior Adam Coley (Valencia, Cail./Cheshire), senior Rhys Bridges (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and junior Own Gaulrapp (Windham, Maine) also reached the 20-point mark.
 
Coley ranked second on the team with 14 goals and tied for second in points with Bridges with each attacker recording 21 points. Bridges and Gaulrapp each assisted on nine goals to tie for the most on the team. Bridges' 12 goals were third on the team while Gaulrapp finished fourth with 11. Gaulrapp, a midfielder, finished third on the team in ground balls with 34.
 
Additional Huskies to watch include junior faceoff specialist Nick Shevchenko (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester), senior defender Herb Bryant (Portland, Maine) and senior goalie Addison Dietz (Waterbury Center, Vt./ Harwood Union). Shevchenko served as the Huskies' main faceoff specialist and won 43.9 percent of his faceoffs (123-of-280). His 73 ground balls were the most on the team with junior Lucas Rego (Dracut, Mass./Lowell Catholic) placing second with 37. Bryant is the top returning defender for the Huskies with 15 caused turnovers. Deitz provides a veteran presence in net with 38 career games and 29 starts. He enters the season with a .504 career save percentage.
 
The Huskies begin the 2026 season on the road at New England College on Wednesday, February 18 at 3:00 pm. The first home game is scheduled for Saturday, February 21 against Thomas College at 11:00 am.
 
2026 LEC Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Western Connecticut - 60 (4)
2. UMass Boston - 59 (3)
3. Plymouth State - 46 (1)
4. Massachusetts Maritime - 45 (1)
5. Keene State - 40
6. Eastern Connecticut - 28
7. Salem State - 19
8. Vermont State Castleton - 17
9. Southern Maine - 10