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University of Massachusets Athletics
2025 Season Preview: Massachusetts Men's Soccer
August 20, 2025 | Men's Soccer
AMHERST, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts men's soccer program is set to begin the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 21 as the Minutemen open the new season welcoming Siena to Rudd Field at 4:00 p.m.
The upcoming season marks the 93rd season for the program and 11th season under the leadership of head coach Fran O'Leary. Massachusetts men's soccer enters its inaugural season as a member of The Summit League.
A Look at the Roster
UMass returns 14 players from last season's team, as graduate students Alex Geczy, Matt Fordham, Aidan Kelly, and Alex Brown rejoin a Minutemen defense that ranked second in the country in shutouts. Kelly enters the season as a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Defender to Watch and ranks 68th in Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top-100. Team assist leader Matt Cence enters his senior year as the sole returnee of postseason starters in the front six. Multi-goal scorers Shane Velez and Ivan Vrh return in addition to Aaron O'Malley, who scored one goal across nine appearances. A.J. Cucinotta, Joseph Bianco, and Brad Moccio each made starting appearances in 2024: bolstering the Massachusetts back line and midfield areas. Braeden Wright, Dean Linden, Sean Fernandez-Davilla round out the returning squad, with Wright making four appearances in 2024.
Massachusetts welcomes 11 newcomers to the Maroon and White this season; featuring graduate transfer JP Mbuthia, senior Kwame Adu-Gyamfi, junior Jalen Belong, sophomore Gavin Brummer, and freshmen Thomas Wadas, Shun Murasawa, Magnús Halldórsson, Quinn Belt, Harry Clapham, Taylon Gayle, and Crew Hartlage.
2024 In Review
The Minutemen posted a 13-4-5 record last year, going 5-2-1 in their final season of Atlantic 10 conference play. Massachusetts earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, hosting Evansville in a 2-1 victory at Rudd Field. UMass took the road to face off against No. 6 Penn and No. 11 Virginia, shutting out both opponents en route to the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2007. The Minutemen drew now-conference foe No. 3 Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals, falling 3-0 on the road.
Massachusetts shut out three of its four opponents ranked in the top 25 nationally, scoring 44 goals and 33 assists across the 2024 campaign while finishing the season at No. 9 in RPI.
Preseason Polls: Eyes on the Minutemen
UMass enters the season at No. 8 in the USC Preseason Poll and are projected to finish third in The Summit League with one first-place vote. The Minutemen trail only No. 4 Denver and No. 18 Kansas City in the preseason conference rankings.
The Summit League becomes one of two conferences with three teams ranking in the top 20 nationally, with all three programs advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2024.
The Journey Ahead
Following the season opener against Siena, Massachusetts is set to take on 10 additional non-conference opponents. The Minutemen will host Quinnipiac (Aug. 28), Stonehill (Sep. 1), Bryant (Sep. 6), Yale (Sep. 20), and Dartmouth (Oct. 21) during the non-con slate. UMass will be on the road five times during out-of-conference action, featuring trips to UConn (Aug. 24), UMass Lowell (Sep. 10), New Hampshire (Sep. 13), Princeton (Sep. 16), and Holy Cross (Sep. 30).
The Minutemen open conference play on Sep. 27, visiting fellow Summit League newcomer Delaware. This will be one of three road trips UMass will make during conference action, also traveling to Omaha (Oct. 11) and St. Thomas (Oct. 25). Massachusetts hosts the remaining three conference foes, starting with an Elite Eight rematch against Denver on Oct. 4. Home matches against Oral Roberts (Oct. 18) and Kansas City (Nov. 1) round out the Summit League schedule.
The Summit League Network (SLN)
All home matches will now be streamed live on the Summit League Network (SLN), powered by Midco Sports Plus. The Summit League and Midco expanded their partnership with an enhanced media rights agreement that will provide fans with a direct-to-consumer branded digital network. SLN will be powered by Midco Sports Plus and be a one-stop shop for all Summit League digital content, serving as the exclusive streaming home for live and on-demand coverage of member institutions.
Subscriptions start at $9.99 a month and will include all home regular-season and Summit League championship coverage for men's soccer.
The Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus is available in mobile/tablet apps (iOS and Android), connected TV device apps (AppleTV, FireTV, and Roku), and a web-based browser interface (SummitLeagueNetwork.tv).
2025 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship
The 2025 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship will return to a four-team format this season with semifinals being played Sunday, Nov. 9 on campus sites and hosted by the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. The highest-remaining seed will then host the title match Saturday, Nov. 8 on its campus.
The upcoming season marks the 93rd season for the program and 11th season under the leadership of head coach Fran O'Leary. Massachusetts men's soccer enters its inaugural season as a member of The Summit League.
A Look at the Roster
UMass returns 14 players from last season's team, as graduate students Alex Geczy, Matt Fordham, Aidan Kelly, and Alex Brown rejoin a Minutemen defense that ranked second in the country in shutouts. Kelly enters the season as a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Defender to Watch and ranks 68th in Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top-100. Team assist leader Matt Cence enters his senior year as the sole returnee of postseason starters in the front six. Multi-goal scorers Shane Velez and Ivan Vrh return in addition to Aaron O'Malley, who scored one goal across nine appearances. A.J. Cucinotta, Joseph Bianco, and Brad Moccio each made starting appearances in 2024: bolstering the Massachusetts back line and midfield areas. Braeden Wright, Dean Linden, Sean Fernandez-Davilla round out the returning squad, with Wright making four appearances in 2024.
Massachusetts welcomes 11 newcomers to the Maroon and White this season; featuring graduate transfer JP Mbuthia, senior Kwame Adu-Gyamfi, junior Jalen Belong, sophomore Gavin Brummer, and freshmen Thomas Wadas, Shun Murasawa, Magnús Halldórsson, Quinn Belt, Harry Clapham, Taylon Gayle, and Crew Hartlage.
2024 In Review
The Minutemen posted a 13-4-5 record last year, going 5-2-1 in their final season of Atlantic 10 conference play. Massachusetts earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, hosting Evansville in a 2-1 victory at Rudd Field. UMass took the road to face off against No. 6 Penn and No. 11 Virginia, shutting out both opponents en route to the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2007. The Minutemen drew now-conference foe No. 3 Denver in the NCAA Quarterfinals, falling 3-0 on the road.
Massachusetts shut out three of its four opponents ranked in the top 25 nationally, scoring 44 goals and 33 assists across the 2024 campaign while finishing the season at No. 9 in RPI.
Preseason Polls: Eyes on the Minutemen
UMass enters the season at No. 8 in the USC Preseason Poll and are projected to finish third in The Summit League with one first-place vote. The Minutemen trail only No. 4 Denver and No. 18 Kansas City in the preseason conference rankings.
The Summit League becomes one of two conferences with three teams ranking in the top 20 nationally, with all three programs advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2024.
The Journey Ahead
Following the season opener against Siena, Massachusetts is set to take on 10 additional non-conference opponents. The Minutemen will host Quinnipiac (Aug. 28), Stonehill (Sep. 1), Bryant (Sep. 6), Yale (Sep. 20), and Dartmouth (Oct. 21) during the non-con slate. UMass will be on the road five times during out-of-conference action, featuring trips to UConn (Aug. 24), UMass Lowell (Sep. 10), New Hampshire (Sep. 13), Princeton (Sep. 16), and Holy Cross (Sep. 30).
The Minutemen open conference play on Sep. 27, visiting fellow Summit League newcomer Delaware. This will be one of three road trips UMass will make during conference action, also traveling to Omaha (Oct. 11) and St. Thomas (Oct. 25). Massachusetts hosts the remaining three conference foes, starting with an Elite Eight rematch against Denver on Oct. 4. Home matches against Oral Roberts (Oct. 18) and Kansas City (Nov. 1) round out the Summit League schedule.
The Summit League Network (SLN)
All home matches will now be streamed live on the Summit League Network (SLN), powered by Midco Sports Plus. The Summit League and Midco expanded their partnership with an enhanced media rights agreement that will provide fans with a direct-to-consumer branded digital network. SLN will be powered by Midco Sports Plus and be a one-stop shop for all Summit League digital content, serving as the exclusive streaming home for live and on-demand coverage of member institutions.
Subscriptions start at $9.99 a month and will include all home regular-season and Summit League championship coverage for men's soccer.
The Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus is available in mobile/tablet apps (iOS and Android), connected TV device apps (AppleTV, FireTV, and Roku), and a web-based browser interface (SummitLeagueNetwork.tv).
2025 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship
The 2025 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship will return to a four-team format this season with semifinals being played Sunday, Nov. 9 on campus sites and hosted by the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. The highest-remaining seed will then host the title match Saturday, Nov. 8 on its campus.
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/ Men's SoccerBroadcast Highlights | UMass Men's Soccer vs. Denver | 10.4.25
Sunday, October 05
UMass MSOC | Broadcast Highlights vs. Stonehill | 09.01.25
Tuesday, September 02
UMass MSOC | Broadcast Highlights vs. Quinnipiac | 08.28.25
Friday, August 29
UMass Men's Soccer | Highlights vs. Quinnipiac | 25.08.28
Friday, August 29