Men’s Soccer Newsletter: December
Greetings from the Bates campus! I hope you are doing well, and you had a great Thanksgiving with your family. We recently finished our fall season, which we earned the program’s first NESCAC playoff berth since 2019. Please read more below to hear more about our fall season, senior day celebration, individual awards, and how to engage with the program over coming months!
Fall 2025 Season Recap
The team finished the fall season 7-6-3 and earned the #8 seed in the NESCAC Tournament. We lost a closely contested Quarterfinal game at Tufts 1-0, which ended our season in early November.
Our NPI Ranking (which dictates who earns at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament) was 54, which was approximately 20 positions away from earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth. The 2025 team embodied our core values: committed, selfless, together, and resilient, and accomplished one of our key goals: qualifying for the NESCAC playoffs.
Improvement is a key trait we focus on as a program. Below are certain key improvement statistics and season milestones that were recently presented to the team:
- NESCAC playoff berth (first time since 2019)
- 11 Points in NESCAC (+3 points from 2024, and most since 2019)
- #54 in D-III Men’s Soccer NPI Rankings (-29 from 2024)
- #13 United Soccer Coaches National Ranking (Sep. 30 – highest in program history)
- 2-0 win at Bowdoin (first time beating Bowdoin in back-to-back seasons since ’98 – ’99)
- 3-0 win at Amherst (first time winning at Amherst since 1992, and beating them since 2004)
- 12 Goals Against (-3 from 2024), .75 GAA (T-29th Nationally)
- 25 Goals For (+5 from 2024)
I am pleased with the culture we are building and the progress we have made again this season. We must continue working hard over the next 8+ months to continue our forward trajectory in the most competitive Division III men’s soccer conference in the nation!
Senior Day Celebration
We celebrated the 8 seniors before our home game vs. Connecticut College on October 18: Lane Foushée, Kobby Nimako, Wilson Smith, Sebastian Iacovitti, David Ortiz, Mauro Kalora, Tomas Alberola, and Cesar Hoover. This class has embodied our core values, committed to our standards, supported their teammates, and played a large role in our forward momentum over the last two years. We thank them deeply for their contributions to the program and wish them well as they begin their transition to the real world!
Team Banquet and Post-Season Awards
Banquet + Team Awards
We hosted our annual team banquet on December 2, when the team returned from Thanksgiving break, to celebrate the 2025 season. We handed out individual awards and recognized the senior class for their contributions to the program over the last four years. See below for the individual award winners.
- Bob Lanz ’65 Golden Boot Award – Luke Cunniffe ‘29
Named after the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, the Bob Lanz ’65 Golden Boot is presented to the Bates player who scores the most goals in a season. - First Captain’s Award – Lane Foushee ’26 (first 2-time winner in program history)
This award is given in honor of the program’s first-ever captain, Lee Nute ’63. The criteria for the award are being exemplary in scholarship, leadership, and service. - Rob Moore ’94 Compassionate, Kind, and Selfless Spirit Award – David Ortiz ‘26
Established to commemorate Robert Daniel Moore ’94. The Rob Moore ’94 Compassionate, Kind, and Selfless Spirit Award will be presented to a graduating senior men’s soccer player who demonstrates qualities that were embodied by Rob Moore, including unwavering generosity, calmness under pressure, and a never-give-up attitude. - Club Man of the Year – Wilson Smith ‘26
This award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the team and their teammates on and off the field by embodying Bates Men’s Soccer’s 2025 Core Values: Committed, Together, Selfless, and Resilience. - Rookie of the Year– Luke Cunniffe ‘29
- Team MVP- Hewitt Stevenson ‘28
4 All-NESCAC Honorees!
Four team members earned All-NESCAC honors. This was the most in program history, and the first time in program history two first-years have been named All-NESCAC. Congrats to Lane, Hewitt, Chris, and Luke!
- Lane Foushee ’26 – Foushée played in 15 matches for Bates, starting in 13 of them on his way to a strong senior season that saw the team captain score three goals and dish out two assists.
- Hewitt Stevenson ’28 – Stevenson started all 16 matches and tallied one goal and two assists on the year. He helped anchor a Bates defense that only allowed 0.75 goals per match.
- Chris Bianco ’29 – Bianco played in 15 matches, starting in 10 as a rookie. He tallied three goals and led the team with four assists.
- Luke Cunniffe ’29 – Cunniffe saw action in all 16 matches as a rookie, starting 11. He led the team with 12 points, including a team-high five goals, plus a pair of assists.
Six Bobcats Named to CSC Academic All-District Team
We had six Bobcats selected to the College Sports Communicators Men’s Soccer Academic All-District® Team: junior captain Andrew Goddard, senior Wilson Smith, sophomore Zach Perron, sophomore Andrew Jean Baptiste, sophomore George Nassar, and sophomore Hewitt Stevenson. The College Sports Communicators recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Congrats to these six on their work ethic and performance in the classroom and on the field!
Alumni Engagement + Closing Thoughts
Thank you to all the alumni, parents, and friends of the program who supported us throughout the fall season. Your presence was felt on the sidelines at games in garnet and white, fueling the team at the postgame tailgates, at our September 20 Alumni game, and through your donations made to the program. We have taken another big step forward this year as a team, and we could not have done so without this far-reaching support. Thank you!
2026 Alumni Mentorship Program
Aleks Marceau ’19, Owen Keleher ’22, Rex Ah Chu ’25, and Hewitt Stevenson ’28 are working behind the scenes to launch the 2026 Alumni Mentorship Program. The goal of this program is to connect current student-athletes with alumni for guidance on internships, interviews, post-graduation jobs, and navigating soccer/school/life at Bates.
In the program’s inaugural year (2025), we had over 100 Bobcats involved (70 alumni and 30+ student-athletes). Please keep your eyes out for an email in the coming weeks with information on how to become an alumni mentor in 2026!
Alumni Mentoring Night (April 10)
We will host our 2nd annual Alumni Mentoring Night at Bates on Friday, April 10. We are looking to bring 4-5 Men’s Soccer alumni back to campus from different eras and industries for a night that includes: an alumni panel, Q&A with the current student-athletes, and a casual dinner in Commons with the team.
Learn more about the 2025 Alumni Mentoring Night, and please reach out to me at bbrewster@bates.edu if you are interested in getting involved with this event in 2026!
Donate to the Men’s Soccer Program
I hope you will consider donating to the Bates Men’s Soccer program over the holiday season. From last year’s donations, we were able to use these dollars in the following ways:
- Stipend to retain our 2nd Assistant Coach
- Team Bonding Events (Portland Hearts of Pine Game, Preseason Team BBQ at the coach’s house)
- Nutrition, Hydration, and Recovery enhancements in the locker room
- PlayerData GPS Tracking Devices, and Wyscout Video/Analytics platform, which has allowed the coaching staff to take a data-driven approach towards our training, scouting, development, and recovery protocols
- New training jackets and travel attire for the team
Please support the Men’s Soccer program.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the program. Have a fantastic holiday season and GO BOBCATS!
Ben Brewster
Head Coach, Bates Men’s Soccer