Elon, Hofstra Tabbed 2025 CAA Men’s Soccer Division Favorites; Hofstra’s Goddard Chosen Preseason Player of the Year

Elon, Hofstra Tabbed 2025 CAA Men’s Soccer Division Favorites; Hofstra’s Goddard Chosen Preseason Player of the Year

Bookmark and Share

Ben Kane

RICHMOND, Va. (August 14, 2025) – Hofstra and Elon were chosen by the league’s head coaches as the 2025 CAA Men’s Soccer Preseason favorites, while Hofstra midfielder Laurie Goddard took home CAA Preseason Player of the Year honors for the Pride.


 
Chasing a fifth-consecutive CAA men’s soccer title, Hofstra ranks as the top team in the North division with 15 points and three first place votes, followed closely by Monmouth (12) andDrexel (11). Northeastern (7) and Stony Brook (5) close out the grouping with two points separating the programs. Elon topped the South division with 15 points, including three first-place votes, with Charleston and UNCW tying for second place with 12 points. William & Mary (6) and Campbell (5) round out the division.
 
Led by the 2024 United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year, Hofstra went 14-5-2 last campaign and secured the second (and highest) national seed (7) for the NCAA Tournament in program history. 
 
Scoring a conference-high 42 goals alongside 41 assists, the Pride sat within the nation’s top-15 for points last season at 125. Alongside Goddard, fellow Preseason All-CAA selection Gabriel Pacheco will don the Hofstra crest once again, having helped lead his backline to an impressive 10 clean sheets on the season.
 
Elon captured its second CAA Regular Season title in the last three years, finishing the season in the semifinals of the conference tournament with a 10-7-1 record. The Phoenix sat in the conference’s top-five in goals (32) and assists (27), putting the North Carolina-based program fifth in the CAA in points (91).
 
CAA Coach of the Year Marc Reeves returns to the touchline alongside 2024 All-CAA Selections Colin Veltri and Charlie Kitch. Veltri tallied the second most points (15) amongst the Phoenix last season, netting six goals and adding three assists.
 
Goddard had a stellar season in the blue and yellow of Hofstra, charting 23 points on nine goals and five assists, garnering him CAA Championship Most Outstanding Player accolades. Named an NCAA National Player of the Week in November, Goddard netted three in the Pride’s title push, including the lone two tallies in a 2-0 win over Elon in the CAA Men’s Soccer semifinals.
 
The CAA men’s soccer season kicks off on Thursday, August 21, with nine of the 10 programs in action.
 
Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all  CAA member institutions and their teams.
 
2025 CAA MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL 
Team (1st Place Votes)  Points
 
North
Hofstra (3) 15
Monmouth (1) 12
Drexel (1) 11
Northeastern 7
Stony Brook 5
 
South
Elon (3) 15
UNCW (1) 12
Charleston (1) 12
William & Mary 6
Campbell 5
 
2025 CAA MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON AWARDS
 
CAA Preseason Player of the Year
Laurie Goddard, Hofstra
 
Preseason All-CAA Team
Player Team Pos. Class Hometown
Matt Lenert Charleston F Jr. Falls Church, Va.
Colin Veltri  Elon F Sr. Mays Landing, N.J.
Filipe Matos Campbell F Jr. Riachos, Portugal
Laurie Goddard Hofstra M Sr. London, England
Ezra White Charleston M Sr. Clemson, S.C.
Osei Gyamfi UNCW M So. Khumasi, Ghana
Jake Shannon UNCW D Sr. Apex, N.C.
Majaliwa Msabaha Elon D Sr. Randers, Denmark
Noah Gold Charleston D Sr. Germantown, Md.
Charlie Kitch Elon D Jr. Medford, N.J.
Olly Marshall Charleston GK Sr. Newcastle, England
 
Honorable Mentions: Victor Andersson F (Monmouth), Ethan Newsome F (UNCW), Lucas Caldas F (William & Mary), Cesare D’Amico F  (UNCW), Jakob Friedman M (Monmouth), Evans Dapaah M  (Campbell), Patrick Osiecki  M (Monmouth), Aidan Morrison M (William & Mary), Ethan Kang M (Northeastern), Gabriel Pacheco D  (Hofstra), Gavin Carmichael D (UNCW), Evan Rabush D  (William & Mary), Trey Smiley GK (UNCW)