MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The defending Horizon League Champions begin their postseason journey this weekend, as the RMU men's soccer team hits the road for a quarterfinal showdown against Milwaukee. The Colonials will visit Engelmann Stadium on Sunday, November 9 for a 2:00 PM ET kickoff. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
RMU LATELY
RMU (5-3-7, 3-1-5 #HLMSOC) closed the regular season with momentum, earning a 3-0 statement win at Wright State to officially punch its ticket to the 2025 Horizon League Championship. The Colonials scored three times in the opening half, with tallies from
Kosi Udeh,
Victor Koah, and
Anass Hadran, while Udeh,
Jaxson Lee,
Fabian Overkamp,
William Dodzi Afawubo, and
Riley Cotton each recorded assists. Goalkeeper
Josh Lane turned aside four shots to secure his fifth clean sheet of the campaign.
The strong finish helped RMU secure fifth place in the league table and enter the postseason unbeaten in four of its last five matches. RMU also finished the regular season with the third-fewest goals allowed in conference play (11).
Individually, Hadran leads RMU in goals (4) and points (12), while freshman
Royie Rahamim also owns four goals. Defender
Jaxson Lee has paced the Colonials in distribution with a team-high five assists, and Udeh now leads the squad with two game-winning goals. Junior defender
Kevin Gorbell continues to anchor the back line, logging a team-best 1,320 minutes. Between the posts, Lane has started all 15 contests, collecting five wins and five shutouts. His .764 save percentage ranks third among Horizon League goalkeepers.
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Since joining the Horizon League in 2020, RMU has qualified for the postseason three times — 2021, 2022 and 2024 — with 2024 marking the program's breakthrough year.
- 2021: RMU reached the quarterfinal round before falling to Milwaukee, 1-0.
- 2022: The Colonials drew 2-2 at Oakland in the quarterfinals, but were edged in a penalty shootout, 6-5.
- 2024: RMU earned a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed and proceeded to win its first Horizon League Championship, defeating Milwaukee (1-0) in the semifinal and then Oakland (1-0) in the final. The title sent the Colonials to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
RMU enters this year's tournament seeking to become the first back-to-back Horizon League Champion since UIC in 2017–18.
ALL-TIME VS. MILWAUKEE
RMU owns a 3-4-1 all-time record against Milwaukee but is unbeaten in the last three matchups. The sides played to a 2-2 draw in Moon Township earlier this season, with Hadran and Cotton finding the net for the Colonials. Milwaukee equalized via a penalty kick with 10 minutes left.
Last year, RMU swept the season series against the Panthers — winning 1-0 in both the regular season and the quarterfinal — with forward
Chase Gilley scoring the match-winner in each contest.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee (4-6-8, 3-1-5 #HLMSOC) closed the regular season as the No. 4 seed and enters the postseason unbeaten in three straight matches. The Panthers drew with RMU and Detroit Mercy and earned a victory over NKU to climb the table on the final weekend.
Offensively, Angel Gongora and Fernando Pirry have been Milwaukee's primary scoring threats, each netting five goals, while Gongora leads the roster with 13 points. Junior Dominic Zuniga has facilitated in the midfield with a team-best five assists. On the defensive side, Jack Wagner has been the anchor, starting all 18 matches and logging a team-high 1,512 minutes. Goalkeeper Nic Diana has made 17 starts, recording three wins and three clean sheets.
UP NEXT
The winner of Sunday's quarterfinal advances to the semifinal round of the #HLMSOC Championship on Wednesday, November 12 at 4:00 PM ET. No. 1 seed Cleveland State will host the lowest-remaining seed, while No. 2 seed Purdue Fort Wayne will host the highest-remaining seed.
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