The College of Southern Maryland men’s soccer team opens its 2026 season this afternoon under new head coach Scott Kopicko, hosting Harford Community College at 2 p.m. at the CSM Soccer Field in La Plata.
Kopicko takes over a Hawks program that went 4-9-4 overall and 2-8-3 in Maryland JUCO play last season, competing in NJCAA Region 20. He was hired in June after serving as junior varsity head coach at Leonardtown High School in St. Mary’s County, where his teams went 30-2-4 over three seasons and contributed to a state championship run. He has also coached extensively with St. Mary’s County youth soccer programs and most recently worked as a women’s travel coach with Southern Maryland Rush.
CSM returns seven student-athletes from last year’s roster, headlined by sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Knapp of La Plata, who earned All-Region 20 First Team and All-Maryland JUCO Second Team honors in 2025. Knapp split time between goal and the field last season, posting 15 goals and two assists in 16 matches as a position player while also making two starts in net with a .800 save percentage. Other returners include midfielder Donovan Dean, who posted three goals and an assist in 15 starts a year ago; forward Aydyn Meaders, who tallied two goals and four assists across 17 matches; fullback Everton McKinney; fullback Hayden Miller; fullback Kenneth Tomasello; and midfielder Ryan Kopicko, the new coach’s son, who made eight starts last season.
The Hawks lose three key contributors from last season. Zion Abdullah, a two-time All-Maryland JUCO honoree who started all 27 matches in 2025, transferred to Bethany College in West Virginia. Josky Densie, an All-Maryland JUCO Third Team selection, and Fondjo Ulrich Kamyou, who earned All-Region 20 Second Team and All-Maryland JUCO Second Team honors, also depart the program.
CSM’s freshman class includes 14 newcomers drawing from both Southern Maryland high schools and international programs, including players from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Vietnam and Uganda alongside recruits from Chopticon, Calvert, La Plata, Leonardtown, North Point and Thomas Stone high schools. Among the local additions are striker Blaine Ganley of Chopticon High School, midfielder Stephen Jones of Calvert High School and center back Liam Cowan, also of Calvert High School.
Friday’s opener also marks the first meeting between the programs since a coaching change atop the Hawks’ bench, with Kopicko’s staff facing an established Region 20 opponent to start his tenure.
Harford enters the season opener as the higher seed in the all-time series, leading the Fighting Owls’ matchup with CSM 14-8 since 2013 and riding a nine-game winning streak in the series dating to 2008 — CSM’s last win over Harford came in 2016. Harford went 11-7-2 last season under head coach Bill Wardle and beat CSM 4-0 in the teams’ last meeting, on Oct. 21, 2025, at CSM Soccer Field. The Fighting Owls have built a roster with significant international representation in recent years, including players from Chile and Brazil among others, a program hallmark under Wardle.
Friday’s match will stream online at https://csmd.prestosports.com/stream.
