On a match night, you can hear the drums and cheers of Fitzpatrick Stadium from the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus — the glow of the lights reaches dorm and classroom windows just a short walk down the road. This proximity is at the heart of the new partnership between USM and Portland Hearts of Pine soccer club. But for a handful of Huskies, that connection to the club started well before any official announcement.

Cullen McIntyre: Behind the lens, ahead of the game

Cullen McIntyre had a camera in his hand long before he had any sense of where it might get him. Sophomore year, he took a chance on photography, building out a portfolio within USM's athletic department — sideline shots, game-day wins, work that taught him where to look, and when to shoot.

He didn't know it then, but a class project would lead to something much bigger. A media studies major with a minor in sports communication, Cullen chose to interview a man named Gabe Hoffman-Johnson for his project, who, at the time, was in the early stages of building a professional soccer club from scratch. Hearts of Pine didn't have a roster yet. It barely had a name.

Years later, when Hearts of Pine put out an open call for freelance media ahead of its inaugural season, Cullen filled out the form and waited. Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe it wasn't. Either way, the club whose founder he'd once interviewed for a class project was now hiring him as a photographer.

He's covered nearly every home game since. And this spring, he'll be back on USM's campus, not only with a camera, but at the front of a classroom, teaching as an adjunct professor in media studies.

"I wouldn't be in this position without USM. It's meaningful seeing fellow alumni working alongside me on the team, and friends from my USM days in the stands," said Cullen.

READ FULL ARTICLE