ORONO – Cooper Friend of Ellsworth, a former men’s soccer standout at the University of Maine, has signed a professional contract with the Carolina RailHawks of the United Soccer League.

The RailHawks are an expansion team that will begin play in the USL’s first division this month. The team will play 14 regular-season home games and four additional home playoff and exhibition games each year.

The team, which played a preseason game against the Richmond Kickers at the University of Richmond on Saturday night, will open its inaugural season on Saturday, April 21, with a home match against the Minnesota Thunder at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

“This will be Cooper’s rookie year,” said RailHawks coach Scott Schweitzer. “It will be a learning experience for him but he has the ability to move to the midfield if needed and we look forward to some good things from him down the road.”

Friend, a midfielder and co-captain for Maine last fall, led the Black Bears with four goals and three assists. He finished his career with five goals and 10 assists.

In 2002 he was named to the America East All-Rookie Team, and the next season he earned All-America East first-team honors. In 2004 Friend played just four games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, and he subsequently earned a medical hardship waiver.

He returned to the lineup in 2005 and started in 13 of 14 games he played for the Black Bears, and chipped in with three assists.

Friend also was a Maine Scholar-Athlete and a member of the America East Academic Honor Roll.

Before joining the Maine program, Friend was a standout midfielder at Ellsworth High School, earning all-conference and All-Eastern Maine recognition and helping the Eagles win the 1999 Eastern Maine Class B championship.

He then prepped at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., where he earned Western New England and All-New England prep school honors.