PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced its annual major award winners and all-conference teams Tuesday, following a vote of the league’s head coaches.
LEC regular season champion Western Connecticut State University had a pair of major award winners in 2025 LEC Offensive Player of the Year Nickolas Santana and 2025 LEC Rookie of the Year Matthews Rocha.
Santana tallied 19 goals and 43 total points to lead the LEC in both categories by a substantial margin. He ranks fifth in NCAA Division III in goals scored and is sixth in the nation in total points.
Rocha started in 14 of his 21 games played in his first collegiate season, totaling seven goals and 17 total points. His seven goals tied him for fourth in the conference, while his 17 total points placed him sixth in the league.
University of Massachusetts Boston junior back Ian Visnick was named the 2025 LEC Defensive Player of the Year. He has started all 19 games so far for the Beacons this season, leading a back line that has allowed just 16 goals on the season heading into the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, the fewest in the conference.
Goalkeeper of the Year honors went to University of Southern Maine sophomore Gabe Wagner. Wagner posted 1.31 goals against average and .787 save percentage for the Huskies, with 74 total saves over his 16 games played. He led the LEC in save percentage, was second in goals against average, third in total saves and fourth in saves per game.
UMass Dartmouth was voted the 2025 LEC Coaching staff of the Year. Led by second-year head coach Andrew Schaefer, and assistant coaches Samuel Martins, Dave Pacheco, Joey Paiva and Kyle Rhines, the Corsairs posted an overall record of 7-9-4 and finished fifth in the LEC with 11 points on a 3-3-2 league record, a substantial improvement of 2024’s 3-12-3 overall record that included an 0-6-2 mark in conference play. UMass Dartmouth qualified for the LEC tournament for the first time since 2021, and were in the semifinal round for the first time since 2013.
The complete list of LEC honorees is as follows.
| Offensive Player of the Year |
Nickolas Santana |
Western Connecticut |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Ian Visnick |
UMass Boston |
| Goalkeeper of the Year |
Gabe Wagner |
Southern Maine |
| Rookie of the Year |
Matthews Rocha |
Western Connecticut |
| Coaching Staff of the Year |
|
UMass Dartmouth |
|
|
|
| First Team All-LEC |
|
|
| Gabe Wagner |
Goalkeeper |
Southern Maine |
| Alex Graver |
Forward |
Southern Maine |
| John Arruda |
Forward |
UMass Boston |
| Nickolas Santana |
Forward |
Western Connecticut |
| Sebastian Kadlof |
Midfield |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Jack Brady |
Midfield |
Southern Maine |
| Felipe De Andrade |
Midfield |
UMass Boston |
| Jeffrey Norales |
Midfield |
Western Connecticut |
| Lucas Duquette |
Defense |
Rhode Island College |
| Ian Visnick |
Defense |
UMass Boston |
| Jair Whyte |
Defense |
UMass Boston |
| Enzo Lagrassa-Gillet |
Defense |
Western Connecticut |
|
|
|
| Second Team All-LEC |
|
|
| Ethan Donahue |
Goalkeeper |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Luizandro Sanches |
Forward |
Rhode Island College |
| Rafael Gross |
Forward |
UMass Boston |
| Matthews Rocha |
Forward |
Western Connecticut |
| Niall O'Brien |
Midfield |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Eduardo Chirico |
Midfield |
UMass Boston |
| Michael O'Connor |
Midfield |
VTSU Castleton |
| Juan Gomez Herrera |
Midfield |
Western Connecticut |
| Caiden Hettrick-Rivera |
Defense |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Liam Conneely |
Defense |
Southern Maine |
| Nikolas Chevres |
Defense |
Western Connecticut |
| Aidan Roxo |
Defense |
Western Connecticut |