NEW LONDON, Conn. —  

The Coast Guard Academy men's soccer team kicks off its 2025 campaign on Friday, August 29th, as hosts of Brandeis University!

The Bears are expected to finish second in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) as voted on by the league's coaches in the annual Preseason Poll. The team went 12-6-2 and was ranked as the 11th-best team in the country in the October 2nd edition of the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top 25.

They finished the season unranked following a 4-3-1 conference slate but earned the #3 seed in the NEWMAC Tournament. After a thrilling 3-2 overtime win at home versus 6-seed Emerson College in the quarterfinals, the Bears' season ended in Newport, R.I., by way of a heartbreaking 1-2 loss to 2-seed Salve Regina.

"The team is excited to get back at it! We're looking forward to getting started against an excellent Brandeis team this Friday," says head coach Chris Parsons, who enters his 24th season at the helm of the program. "The rest of our out-of-conference slate will challenge the team before they transition to their NEWMAC schedule, which will be a battle as usual."

The team enters 2025 after graduating just three members of last season's starting lineup. "We're returning with many experienced players who will allow us to compete in every game," says Parsons.

SENIORS

Two seniors will take up the "captain" mantles this season: forward Aki Freeman (San Diego, Calif.) and goalkeeper Jack Putnam (Clifton Park, N.Y.).

Freeman was nothing short of stellar in 2024, leading the Bears with 22 points, nine goals, and a co-leading four assists while starting in all 20 of the team's contests. He was a NEWMAC Athlete of the Week twice on the way to finishing fourth in the conference in points and third in goals and cemented himself as a top up-front force in New England, earning both First Team All-Conference and USC First Team All-Region honors for the first time in his career.

Putnam returns for his second season as the Bears' go-to guy between the posts. The New Yorker finished fourth in saves in the NEWMAC with 66 and third in shutouts with five while starting 16 games in 2024, including all eight NEWMAC matches and both postseason contests. He'll look to further solidify his standing as one of the top shot-deterrers in the conference.

Also returning for the Class of 2026 are defender Aidan Miles (Tampa, Fla.) and midfielder Alex Thissell (Ashburn, Va.). Miles is one of three returning starters from last season's back line and the lone senior of the trio, bringing the most experience to a Bears' defense which graduated two-year captain and 2024 NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year ENS Jude Sargent. Thissell will be looking for more minutes last season after providing depth up front and in the midfield in 18 games off the bench, scoring once in his role.

JUNIORS

A solid Class of 2027 features the bulk of last year's starting lineup. In the attacking portion, forward Jake Fish (Little Silver, N.J.) scored once and was tied with Freeman with for the team lead in assists, while midfielders Andres Villasana (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Cole Miller (Annapolis, Md.) both started in all 20 games last season, with Villasana scoring two times and Miller scoring thrice.

On defense, Chase Lopez (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Naveen Jayaram (Tampa, Fla.) are the other two returning starters next to Miles, with Lopez primarily playing the sides and Jayaram up the middle. Both men made appearances in the offensive part of the stat sheets, as Lopez scored once and assisted twice while Jayaram added a pair of each. 

Rounding out the juniors are forward Kai Trager (San Clemente, Calif.); midfielder Michael Porter (Towson, Md.), who scored once and assisted once through 19 games in 2024; defender Brenden Engstrom (Brea, Calif.); and goalkeeper Samuel Linkous (Gulf Breeze, Fla.), who earned two wins while getting playing time during last season's non-conference slate.

SOPHOMORES

Eight players from the Class of 2028 return for their sophomore seasons, with midfielder Nick Yorgason (Pleasant View, Utah) bringing back the most experience out of the group. Yorgi played in 19 games, including two starts at the end of the season, and scored once on the way.

Forwards Ayden Kim (Spanish Fort, Ala.) and James Von Dyl (San Diego, Calif.); midfielders Hassan Al-Azawi (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Oliver Perry (East Greenwich, R.I.); defender Jaden Smith (Annapolis, Md.); and goalkeepers Connor Hickey (South Berwick, Maine) and Joseph Mason (Lewisville, Tex.) make up the rest of the group.

FRESHMEN
Finally, the men's soccer program will welcome eight cadet-athletes from the Class of 2029 into their ranks: Elliot Belton (Mechanicsville, Va.), Troy Boucher (Metuchen, N.J.), Xavier Cazeau (Clarksville, Md.), Lucas DaSilva (Old Lyme, Conn.), Matt Higbie (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Eric Howard (Dunkirk, Md.), Nick Prosperi (Cedar Run, N.J.), and Josiah Rodriguez (Xenia, Ohio).

DaSilva and Howard both bring a season of collegiate soccer experience to the class. DaSilva played six games, with one start, last fall for NEWMAC rivals Salve Regina University; Howard played in nine games with a start for Salisbury University, recording a goal and an assist during his debut year.

"With small margins in the game of soccer, we'll need to be prepared for every game so we can be the team that finds the back of the net in those close situations," says Parsons. "Our goal is to be firing on all cylinders come late October as we push for a playoff run."