DUDLEY, Mass. (8/18/2026) - The Nichols College Men's Soccer program enters the 2026 season with a renewed energy under second-year head coach
Marco DeVito. The Bison return a strong core of 25 experienced returners while welcoming an exciting group of 11 newcomers, as Nichols looks to build on its foundation set last season.
In his introductory season at the helm, DeVito earned his first collegiate head coaching victory on September 17, a 2-0 win over Lasell University. He guided the Bison through a strong defensive stretch early in the year, highlighted by a 1-0 victory over Conference of New England (CNE) opponent Endicott College on October 18th, in which Nichols scored in the opening minute and held the lead for a full 90 minutes.
DeVito's coaching staff for the 2026 season will see the return of
Rob Squillante,
Nicholas Henriques '23, and
Matheus Campos '24 MBA '26 as assistant coaches, while adding Kaleb Fulmer as a graduate assistant and four-year Nichols men's soccer goalkeeper
Derek Axon '26 as an assistant coach working with the goalkeepers. Squillante will oversee field coaching with Henriques, while Campos will be in charge of operations and performance analysis.
"As a program, we are very excited about this upcoming season. We believe we've brought in some really strong pieces that can contribute on the field, but more importantly contribute to the culture that we are continuing to build here" DeVito stated. "Good things happen to those that work hard and we know our student-athletes have worked exceptionally hard over the last months to push themselves and improve."
On the pitch, captains
Ryan Bray and
Shea Ullo headline the returners as they will look to lead the Bison to the CNE playoffs. Bray, a two-time captain, comes back this season after missing last season due to injury and will look to continue his success of his freshman campaign that saw him record the most minutes on the team. Ullo, a dual sport athlete with men's soccer and men's lacrosse, will anchor the defense after starting 14 games last season and recording 1,158 minutes played.
Returning for his sophomore year, forward
Avery Morse will look to build off his 2025 season, which saw him finish as the Bison's top goal scorer. Joining Morse on offense,
Ayden Gardner returns for his sophomore year after recording the most shots on the team last season.
In the net, the Bison's goalkeepers for this season will consist of senior
Anthony Grguric, junior
Madison Ferrao, and freshmen
Tommy Wickwire and
Chase Henderson.
The Bison will open the season on the road against Westfield State University on September 1st. On Saturday, September 5th, The Hill will host Senior Day in a match against Emerson College for an 11 AM kickoff. Conference play starts on September 12th for the Bison, as they travel to Western New England to face the Golden Bears.
For updates on this season for the Bison, follow @ncbison on X and Instagram.
