DANBURY, CONN. (November 6, 2026) - No. 2 UMass Boston (9-5-1) men's soccer travels to face No. 1 Western Connecticut State (13-3-5) in the Little East Conference Championship Final on Saturday, November 7 at 1:00 p.m. from the Westside Athletic Complex.

The Beacons are carrying a five-game winning streak and a chance to claim the program's fifth LEC title.

The teams met earlier in the season on Oct. 3 at WestConn, with the Wolves handing UMass Boston a 4-1 defeat, building a 3-0 first-half lead before each team added one goal in the second half. The all-time series between the programs stands at 15-20-6 in favor of the Wolves.

UMass Boston secured its spot in the final as the No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye before defeating No. 3 Rhode Island College 3-1 in the LEC Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The Beacons have now won five straight, outscoring opponents 21-4 across that stretch, with victories over Vermont State University Castleton (4-1), Eastern Connecticut State (2-1), Plymouth State (8-1), UMass Dartmouth (4-0), and Rhode Island College (3-1). The run began Oct. 10, just three days after the Oct. 7 loss to Southern Maine.

Scouting the Wolves

Western Connecticut State enters the final as the No. 1 seed with and an unbeaten 7-0-1 mark in LEC play. The Wolves advanced to the championship by defeating No. 4 Southern Maine 4-3 in the semifinals on Nov. 4, with Nickolas Santana recording a hat trick in the opening 30 minutes and Lucas Fernandez adding the game-winning goal. Santana leads the Little East Conference with 13 goals and 31 points on the season, while Juan Gomez Herrera has distributed a team-high seven assists. In net, Aime Ruggles has posted an 11-0-2 record with a 0.74 goals-against average.

Beacons this Season

Ryan Lima (Minas Gerais, Brazil) leads UMass Boston with six goals and four assists for 16 points on the season, and Gabriel Jordao (Bellingham, Mass.) is close behind with six goals and three assists for 15 points — including a hat trick against Plymouth State on Oct. 24. In the semifinal win over Rhode Island College, Lima and Jordao combined for the first two goals within the opening 13 minutes. John Arruda (Espirito Santo, Brazil) has contributed four goals and four assists, recording two assists in the semifinal, while Eduardo Chirico (Minas Gerais, Brazil) has five goals on the year and converted a penalty kick in the 54th minute to seal the win over Rhode Island College. In goal, JJ Devine (Halifax, Mass.) made four saves in the semifinal, including a stop on a 90th-minute penalty kick to preserve the two-goal margin.

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