NEW LONDON, Conn. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy men's soccer team is set to open their 2026 season this Tuesday, September 1st, with an away day at Brandeis University. The game signals the beginning of a new campaign, not just for the team but for Coast Guard Athletics as a whole, serving as the first official contest for any of the Academy's varsity athletics teams during the 2026-27 academic year.

"The preseason has been a productive one. The team is excited to kick the season off against a high-quality opponent like Brandeis," says head coach Chris Parsons. "As always, the NEWMAC schedule will be a difficult one, but we are focused on returning to the postseason."

Following a 2025 season that saw them fall to Babson College in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference semifinals, Coast Guard men's soccer enters the new saga ranked 3rd in the annual NEWMAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bears went 7-6-7 overall and 3-1-4 in league play, with the team opening conference play at 3-0-1 before cooling off to finish out the league slate at 0-1-3. Two of those draws came against Wheaton College (Mass.), then the #10 team in the United Soccer Coaches poll, and the Beavers.

Parsons returns for his 25th year at the Academy and his 24th season helming the men's soccer program. Parsons has a record of 202-161-63 during his time in New London, picking up the 200th win with a 1-0 victory against MIT on September 27th. Joining him on the sideline will be Patrick McCarney, returning for his 15th season at the team's top assistant coach, and Anthony Occhialini, who returns for his 11th season working with the goalies.

Despite graduating a pair of All-NEWMAC selections in forward Aki Freeman and defender Aidan Miles from last season's team, the Bears return with a with a senior class that boasts as much talent as they do numbers. Sharing the mantle of captain this season are defenders Naveen Jayaram (Tampa, Fla.) and Jack Lopez (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.). Both men have started almost every game throughout the past two seasons, with Jayaram playing center back and Lopez on the outside. Jayaram ranked second on the team in minutes played in 2024 and 2025, scoring five goals and recording two assists during his collegiate career, while Lopez has also logged two assists while netting a pair of scores himself.

Andres Villasana (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) has been selected as the team's #12 for the 2026 season, worn in honor of LTJG Thomas Cameron '09. Cameron was captain of the 2008 ECAC Championship team, and later died in a training mission in 2012. Coast Guard men's soccer has honored his legacy ever since by selecting one senior to sport the TC12 jersey season. Villasana becomes the 15th in a long line of Bears sport the number. A starter in the midfield since his freshman year, Villasana led the team with five goals during his freshman season. He has scored eight and assisted on three throughout his time at the Academy.

Fellow midfielder Cole Miller (Annapolis, Md.) is sure to be a focal point for opposing defenses after being named a NEWMAC "Player to Watch" for the upcoming season. The distinction comes after he was named NEWMAC First Team All-Conference and United Soccer Coahes Third Team All-Region II. A three-year starter, Miller's breakout junior season saw him lead the Bears in both points (13) and goals (6). One of his most memorable scores was an 89th-minute header to lift the Bears past conference foes Worcester Polytechnic Institute on October 4th. Just a week later, he scored both of Coast Guard's goals in a road win at Emerson College, picking up NEWMAC Athlete of the Week recognition for the performance.

Miller wasn't the only Bear to be named a NEWMAC Athlete of the Week last season, being joined in that regard by classmate Samuel Linkous (Gulf Breeze, Fla.), who started six of seven games amidst a goalie carrousel last season. Linkous compiled a 5-1-1 record and two shutouts in the process, all while recording 20 saves and allowing five goals across 52 shots faced. The Floridian picked up his weekly honor with his performance in the MIT, in which he saved three shots to record his first shutout and delivered Parsons' 200th win at Coast Guard.

The Bears' senior class will also see the return of Jake Fish (Little Silver, N.J.), a crafty winger who has shared the team lead in assists in each of the last two seasons. Fish served up three in 2025 and four in 2024, scoring a goal in each of those campaigns. Kai Trager (San Clemente, Calif.) will look to build upon a breakout season at outside back, while Michael Porter (Baltimore, Md.) and Brenden Engstrom (Brea, Calif.) both aim to provide valuable minutes and leadership at their respective midfield and back-row positions.

Coast Guard's junior class features six men, among them goalkeeper Connor Hickey (South Berwick, Maine). Hickey logged six starts across eight game between the posts, posting a 2-2-2 in the process. He led the rotating goalkeeping room with three shutouts and an 0.848 save percentage, stopping 28 shots and allowing five goals against 76 shots faced. James Von Dyl (San Diego, Calif.) made nine starts while playing in all 20 games at forward, breaking into the starting lineup for the final seven games. He scored a goal and an assist on September 23rd versus Rhode Island College in his first career start, and later scored the lone goal for the Bears against #10 Wheaton.

Ayden Kim (Spanish Fort, Ala.) will look for an increase in playing time up front. He contributed the game-winning goal against MIT to break a scoreless tiw in the 44th minute. The junior class is rounded out by midfielders Hassan Al-Azawi (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Oliver Perry (East Greenwich, R.I.), and goalkeeper Joseph Mason (Lewisville, Tex.). Perry had one of the biggest moments of last season for the Bears in the NEWMAC Rournament opening round against Springfield, winning the penalty shootout to send his team to semifinal at Babson.

Josiah Rodriguez (Beavercreek, Ohio) has seen the most playing time out of the seven-man sophomore class as a starter in 15 games at center back last season. Froward Eric Howard (Ocean City, Md.) and midfielder Lucas DaSilva (Old Lyme, Conn.) were both goal-scorers in their first seasons for the Bears after each playing their freshman seasons of 2024 at different institutions. Howard assisted on the 39th-minute game-tyer in the playoff meeting with Springfield. Forwards Elliot Belton (Mechanicsville, Va.) and Xavier Cazeau (Clarksville, Md.), defender Matthew Higbie (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and goalie Troy Boucher (Metuchen, N.J.) will all look for an increase in playing time following their freshman seasons.

Finally, the youth movement remains strong for Coast Guard men's soccer. The team makes up its freshman class with nine new recruits: forwards James Melia (Norwood, N.J.), Noah Nichol (Greenville, S.C.), Charles Watts (Leonardtown, Md.), and Jackson Young (Carrollton, Va.); midfielders Jack Cohen (Middletown Township, N.J.), Ryan Gottschalk (Alpharetta, Ga.), and Jed Meehan (Arnold, Md.); and defenders Connor Capobianco (Greenlawn, N.Y.) and Thomas Love (Virginia Beach, Va.).

"We have a strong group of 1/c who will provide excellent leadership, on field experience and a strong commitment to compete," says Parsons. "The underclass are talented, and we are looking forward to seeing how we grow as a unit over the next three months."

Kickoff for the season opener at Brandeis is set for 4 p.m., with the Judges entering the game ranked 18th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. Fans of Bears men's soccer will have to wait until September 12th for the first home game of the season, in which the boys will host all-time rivals Kings Point in Superintendents' Trophy action. Coast Guard will open NEWMAC play just a week later on September 19th, as hosts of Clark University, and will welcome aboard WPI on October 3rd during Homecoming Weekend.

Down-street rivals #9 Connecticut College will visit the Academy on October 13th for the annual in-city match-up. The final three games will be ones to watch for Coast Guard faithful as the team visits #7 Wheaton on October 24th; hosts Springfield in a NEWMAC Tournament rematch on October 28th; and will look for revenge against Babson on Halloween, October 31st. All home games and NEWMAC contests will be livestreamed on FloCollege. Coast Guard Athletics Season Previews are presented by USAA.