Men's Soccer Season Preview

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The past two seasons featured plenty of success for the Bridgewater State University men's soccer team.

The Bears went a combined 22-5-8, including 12-1-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, won a conference tournament, reached the NCAA Division 3 tourney in 2023 and earned back-to-back conference regular-season championships.

With five returning All-MASCAC players, BSU is hoping to keep that run going in 2025.

The Bears became the first team since Framingham State in 2007-08 to win consecutive outright MASCAC regular-season titles. They are seeking to become the first outright three-peat champion since Salem State in 1989-91.

"We have a good group of guys,'' said coach Brendan Adams, entering his 24th year. "This group has been together for three years now.

"The good thing is they are a close group both on and off the field. They are soccer junkies and they really enjoy the game.

BSU begins the season on Friday night in Providence, R.I., taking on Johnson & Wales at 6 p.m.

That is followed by a trip to Vermont next Tuesday afternoon to face Middlebury College, which lost to Amherst in the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament last season and is ranked No. 3 nationally entering this season.

The Bears return four first-team All-MASCAC players, including junior midfielder Nicholas Ribeiro (Bellingham, Mass.), junior midfielder Tyler Chang (Acushnet, Mass.), junior forward Hector Bucio (Easton, Mass.) and senior captain Gavin Norton (Rockland, Mass.).

Another senior, midfielder Filippo Mucci (Vineyard Haven, Mass.), is also back in the BSU lineup after making the all-conference second team.

Norton was the team's leading scorer a year ago with six goals and six assists for 18 points followed by Mucci with five goals and five assists.

Bucio and senior captain Dominek Borden (New Bedford, Mass.) each had 14 points with six and three goals, respectively, while Ribeiro had six assists.

Bucio, Borden and Norton will be the forwards with Mucci, Ribeiro, Chang, junior Ethan Mallett (Ellington, Conn.) and senior captain Ryan Healy (Cork, Ireland) providing depth in the midfield.

"We're pretty experienced there,'' said Adams.

The Bears will have to replace goalkeeper Lukas Ekmanis, who made the all-conference second team after posting an 0.86 goals against average with five shutouts in 14 starts.

Junior Kyle Sullivan (Enfield, Conn.), a transfer from Merrimack College, will start and be backed up by sophomore Daniel Dias (Brockton, Mass.) and sophomore Rafael Vasconcelos (Hyannis, Mass.).

BSU lost three captains on defense, including Jack O'Toole, Jacob Ramos and Justin Silva.

Senior captain Nick Anselmo (Tyngsborough, Mass.) started 14 games and will be a key player in the back.

"We had three strong scrimmages and did pretty well on defense," said Adams.

BSU is picked to finish second in the MASCAC preseason poll right behind Salem State. The Bears lost to the Vikings on penalty kicks in the semifinal round of the conference tourney last fall.

Now, BSU bids for a third MASCAC regular-season crown in a row.

"There is definitely a lot of pressure," said Adams, "but it's a whole new season. We've got the new guys who haven't been part of this before.

"We're playing a tough schedule, so for the new guys, it's welcome to college soccer. There are no breaks."

The Bears open the home and MASCAC schedule on Sept. 6 by hosting Anna Maria, which is a newcomer to the conference.