WINTHROP, Mass. – The chase for the 2025 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Championship is set to begin, and Saint Joseph's College of Maine has positioned itself among the league's top contenders.

In the annual GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Monks collected 141 points and one first-place vote to land in third place, narrowly trailing Emmanuel College (144 points, three first-place votes) and defending champion University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), which led the way with 163 points and eight first-place nods. Albertus Magnus followed close behind in fourth with 140 points, underscoring the tight race at the top of the standings.

Saint Joseph's finished the 2024 campaign with an 8-8-3 overall record and a 7-5-2 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play under seventh-year Head Coach Will Pike '12, earning the #5 seed in the conference tournament and a quarterfinal trip to #4 Emmanuel on November 2nd. After battling to a 1-1 draw through regulation and two overtime periods, the match was decided in a penalty shootout, where the Saints converted four of five attempts to advance to the semifinal round.

Rivier (111) and Norwich (107) rounded out the top six in the preseason poll, while Regis (89), New England College (78), and Dean (53) occupied the middle positions. Lasell (52) and Colby-Sawyer (50) came in at 10th and 11th, with Elms (34) and Mitchell (21) closing out the preseason rankings.

The 2025 GNAC Men's Soccer season kicks off on Friday, August 29 with non-conference action before league play begins on Saturday, September 6. The top eight finishers will advance to the GNAC Tournament, scheduled for November 1 (quarterfinals), November 4 (semifinals), and November 8 (championship), with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.