Men's Soccer 8/26/2026 12:05:00 PM

Men’s Soccer Picked to Finish 4th in NAC Preseason Poll

WATERVILLE, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in the upcoming 2026 season, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday morning. Husson University, which placed second a season ago, was voted to finish first in this year's poll.

The Beavers placed fifth a season ago with a 4-3-2 record in conference play. Farmington squared off against Maine Maritime in the opening round of the NAC tournament last season and fell to the Mariners, 3-2.

The Beavers will look to improve on their 5-9-3 overall record from a season ago, returning a strong core that includes seven starters from last year's lineup. Farmington graduated a pair of leaders in Arden Weaver and Caelan Billings, who spearheaded the defensive efforts for the Beavers in 2025. The departure of the two opens up a pair of starting center back positions heading into this season. Junior Monte Weaver (Surry, Maine), who started 16 of 17 games last season as an outside back, will likely slide to the middle this season. Sophomore Aubrey King (Blue Hill, Maine), who joined the Beavers as a transfer last spring, is also in line to see significant minutes on defense this season.

Offensively, Farmington returns leading goal-scorer and Second Team All-Conference forward Owen Spera (Gorham, Maine) to lead the way once again. Spera scored eight goals last season, tying him for seventh overall in the conference, doing so in just 971 minutes. The rising sophomore burst onto the scene as a first-year, scoring a hat trick in his first game, with all three goals coming during a 21-minute span to lead the Beavers to a 4-3 victory over Nichols College in their season opener.

The Beavers will also turn to junior forward Jack Luciano (Gorham, Maine) for added offensive punch this season. Luciano missed a fair amount of time a season ago due to injury, playing in just 11 games and tallying 562 minutes.

In the midfield, Farmington returns a strong core of central midfielders in Second Team All-Conference recipient JJ Greenlaw (Farmington, Maine), as well as sophomores Garrett Gendreau (Waterville, Maine) and Reed Pambianco (Blue Hill, Maine). Greenlaw and Gendreau each scored five goals last season, combining with Spera to score 18 of the team's 36 goals. Pambianco tied for the team lead with four assists and will once again likely play a key role on set pieces.

Farmington returns all three goalkeepers from last year's team, all of whom saw time between the pipes. Junior Parker Day (Brentwood, N.H.) saw the most time of the three, going 4-5-1 in 11 appearances. Day made 43 saves, posted a 1.92 goals-against average and a .705 save percentage, and tallied a pair of shutouts.

Season at a Glance

The Beavers are set to open their 2026 campaign on the road against GNAC power Saint Joseph's College of Maine on September 1. Farmington will not play its first game at Leib Field until Sunday, September 13, when it plays host to the University of New England at 1:00 p.m.

With the departure of SUNY Delhi and SUNY Cobleskill from the NAC, conference play is down to just seven games this season. The Beavers will open NAC play on the road against reigning NAC champion Thomas College on Friday, September 11, at 4:00 p.m. They will look to avenge their postseason loss to Maine Maritime when they travel to Castine to take on the Mariners on September 19 in a pivotal conference tilt.

Of the 17 games on the Beavers' schedule this season, nine will be played at home, as they will play host to UNE, Fisher, Lesley, VTSU Castleton, Husson, UMaine-Augusta, VTSU Johnson, and UMaine-Presque Isle.

Poll Results

Husson University - 61 (5)
Thomas College - 59 (3)
Maine Maritime - 46
UMaine-Farmington - 42
Lesley University - 30
VTSU Johnson - 24
UMaine-Presque Isle - 16
VTSU Lyndon - 10

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Players Mentioned

#21 Caelan Billings: D; 5' 11"; Senior

#16 Arden Weaver: D; 6' 1"; Senior

#00 Parker Day: Junior

#6 Garrett Gendreau: Sophomore

#9 JJ Greenlaw: Junior

#15 Jack Luciano: Junior

#7 Reed Pambianco: Sophomore

#10 Owen Spera: Sophomore

#8 Monte Weaver: Junior

#18 Aubrey King: Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#21 Caelan Billings
: 5' 11"; Senior
: D

#16 Arden Weaver
: 6' 1"; Senior
: D

#00 Parker Day
: Junior

#6 Garrett Gendreau
: Sophomore

#9 JJ Greenlaw
: Junior

#15 Jack Luciano
: Junior

#7 Reed Pambianco
: Sophomore

#10 Owen Spera
: Sophomore

#8 Monte Weaver
: Junior

#18 Aubrey King
: Sophomore

Season at a Glance

Poll Results

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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