FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's soccer team secured the fifth seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference (NAC) playoffs after defeating VTSU Johnson 5–1 on Saturday. By earning the No. 5 seed, the Beavers booked a trip to Castine to square off against the No. 4-seeded Mariners of Maine Maritime Academy on Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. in a quarterfinal contest.
Overview
The winner of Wednesday evening's contest between the Beavers and the Mariners will advance to take on the top seed — and reigning conference champion — Thomas College on Saturday evening.
After several years in which the NAC featured divisional playoff rounds with four teams each from the NAC East and West advancing to postseason play, the conference has transitioned to a full-conference model, eliminating the divisional alignment. With 10 teams in the league this season, the top six qualified for the playoffs, while the top two seeds — Thomas and Husson — earned byes into the semifinals.
Tournament seeding:
- Thomas College: 8-0-1 (25 pts)
- Husson: 7-1-1 (22 pts)
- SUNY Delhi: 6-1-2 (20 pts)
- Maine Maritime Academy: 4-2-3 (15 pts)
- UMaine–Farmington: 4-3-2 (14 pts)
- Lesley University: 2-4-3 (9 pts)
Lesley will travel to Delhi on Wednesday for the right to advance and take on Husson in a semifinal battle set for Saturday afternoon.
Season at a Glance
The Beavers wrapped up the regular season on Sunday, suffering a 4–0 setback on the road against VTSU Castleton to finish with a 5-8-3 overall record.
Farmington boasted a young roster this season, with only two seniors ranking among the top ten in minutes played, and eight starters lost from last year's squad. Despite the roster turnover, Farmington opened the season with a 4–3 victory on the road against Nichols College. The win over Nichols proved to be the Beavers' lone non-conference victory of the 2025 campaign.
Farmington picked up key conference wins over VTSU Lyndon, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and SUNY Cobleskill before topping the Badgers on Saturday. The Beavers also suffered several narrow defeats — falling to Thomas, Husson, and Delhi by just one goal each.
Earlier this season, the Beavers and Mariners battled to a scoreless draw, setting up a dramatic quarterfinal rematch this evening. In that game, the Beavers controlled much of the play, outshooting the Mariners 11–5 overall and 7–3 in shots on goal.
The Lineup
The Beavers have used several different lineups over the course of the season, with 17 players making four or more starts. Goalkeeping has been the position with the most rotation. Junior Hunter Frost (Monmouth, Maine), along with sophomores Parker Day (Brentwood, N.H.) and Dylan Gagnon (Hudson, N.H.), have all seen time in net. Day has started nine games, Gagnon four, and Frost three. Gagnon started both games this past weekend in Vermont and appears likely to draw the start this evening.
Offensively, the Beavers have been led by first-year standout Owen Spera (Gorham, Maine), who scored a team-high eight goals. Spera opened the season with a hat trick at Nichols and followed that up with a two-goal performance against the University of Maine at Fort Kent. After a scoreless stretch midseason, Spera got back on track with goals against Husson and Johnson in the final two conference games of the regular season.
Joining Spera up top will be fellow first-year Annimer Ibrahim (Lewiston, Maine), who finished the season with four goals and a team-high five assists. Ibrahim appeared in all 16 games this season, starting 12.
In the midfield, Farmington will likely start a combination of JJ Greenlaw (Farmington, Maine), Garrett Gendreau (Waterville, Maine), Reed Pambianco (Blue Hill, Maine), Vishal Mellor (Union, Maine), and Jack Luciano (Gorham, Maine). Greenlaw finished with five goals and three assists, while Gendreau added four goals, Mellor two, and Luciano one. Pambianco ranked second on the team with four assists.
Defensively, Farmington will be anchored by senior duo Caelan Billings (Sullivan, Maine) and Arden Weaver (Surry, Maine). Billings — a hard-nosed, vocal center back — serves as the emotional leader of the team. Weaver returns to the starting lineup after missing time due to injury. A key contributor on set pieces, Weaver finished with three goals and two assists. On the outside, Somana Hassan (Lewiston, Maine) and Monte Weaver (Surry, Maine) will round out the defensive line.
Farmington will also turn to junior Rafael Harron (Belmont, Calif.), Owen Dakin (Windham, Maine), Fred Coit (Blue Hill, Maine), and Jackson Landry (Gorham, Maine) to provide a spark off the bench.
