BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University men's soccer team has been tabbed to finish third in the Mountain East Conference after a vote of the league's coaches in the MEC Preseason Poll.
The poll was released Tuesday afternoon by the MEC Office.
THE POLL
| Place |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Charleston (7) |
49 |
| 2. |
Davis & Elkins (1) |
43 |
| 3. |
Concord |
35 |
| 4. |
West Liberty |
27 |
| 5. |
West Virginia Wesleyan |
24 |
| 6. |
Point Park |
19 |
| 7. |
Wheeling |
15 |
| 8. |
Frostburg State |
12 |
2024 REVIEW
Last fall was a historic season for the Mountain Lions as they set a program record for wins (15), appeared in the MEC Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament—the first appearance in the national tournament in program history. CU was fifth in Division II in goals scored (57). Concord finished the regular season by winning 10 straight games which at the time was the longest active winning streak in Division II.
2025 SCHEDULE
CU plays 18 regular-season games this fall with 14 versus conference foes and four against non-conference opponents. The season starts September 4 against Chowan in Banner Elk, North Carolina. The Maroon and Gray jumps right into MEC play September 7 at Frostburg State. Point Park will be CU's first home game September 10. An MEC Championship and NCAA Tournament rematch against Charleston comes September 17 before Concord returns the game November 5—the final regular-season game. The Mountain Lions play a double-round robin schedule against the other seven MEC schools.
THE RETURNERS
Beginning his third season at Concord, head coach
Alex Smith has a wealth of returning talent to this year's roster. Third-year captain
Kai Forsyth has been a two-time All-MEC selection, having started 40 games from his center back position. Senior midfielder
Malher Santi Possu finished second on the team in goals (10) which was top 10 in the MEC. Both players were all-region selections last season. Senior midfielder
Darian Bradshaw and senior goalkeeper
Nathan Scargill joined Forsyth on the All-MEC First Team. Scargill posted four shutouts last year and was 12-2-1 in goal. Senior forward
Richard Henry contributed eight assists and six goals. Senior defender
Ted Roberts chipped in six assists, and was the only player to start in all 22 games in 2024.
THE NEWCOMERS
To keep the momentum going from last season, Smith littered this year's roster with a number of transfers from different ranks of college soccer. Among the new Mountain Lions are senior forward
Aaron Baffour (Anchorage, Alaska/Montana State Billings), sophomore midfielder
Issa El Assal (Torrance, Calif./El Camino College), sophomore goalkeeper
Thomas John Freear (Manchester, England/Culver-Stockton College), sophomore midfielder
Alex Hislop (Kingston, Jamaica/Ranger College),
Dominique Malhomme (Chatearoux, France/Jamestown CC), junior midfielder
Reese Joshua-McCarthy (High Wycombe, England/Lake Tahoe CC), junior forward
Jaden McKree (Trincity, Trinidad & Tobago/Coastal Bend CC), junior midfielder
Daniel Rivers (Georgetown, Cayman Islands/Merrimack College) and senior midfielder
Mateo Rodriguez (Frankfurt, Germany/Upper Iowa University).
Other transfers include junior defender
Nathaniel Claudio (Yuma, Ariz./Yavapai CC), junior midfielder
Jeremy Eboka (Lagos, Nigeria/Milwaukee Area Tech College), junior defender
Santiago Lopez (Medellin, Colombia/EAFIT University), sophomore defender
Rosmith Messieur (Provo, Turks & Caicos/Allen CC) and junior midfielder
Prince Mugisha (Nairobi, Kenya/Delaware Valley College).
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