MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Five former RMU men's soccer standouts are continuing their professional careers close to home, signing with Bridge City FC of Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The expansion club, based in Pittsburgh, will play its home games at the Sewickley Sports Arena, just minutes from RMU's campus.
 
Gabe Norris, Nolan Hutter, Grant Glorioso, Keane McIvor and Neil Shaffer all inked professional contracts for the franchise's inaugural season, giving the Colonials a strong presence on one of the league's newest teams.
 
Norris, a 2024 graduate who helped RMU capture its first Horizon League Championship, ended his collegiate career on a high note. After graduating, he took on coaching club soccer at Steel City FC. As a player, he helped lead them to back-to-back Great Lakes Cup Titles in 2023 and 2024.
 
During his four years at RMU, he appeared in 61 games and tallied five goals and two assists. In Bridge City FC's first-ever match, he added a goal and an assist in a 9-8 win over the Fort Wayne Summit City Sentinels.
 
"It felt really good to get on the scoresheet," Norris said. "Having been more of a defensive player at RMU, it was fun to have a bit more of an attacking role with indoor being naturally more of an attacking game. Abraham Lopez-Mendoza even texted me that he was shocked to see me score. I'm glad we could grind it out for the owners who have put so much into this. I didn't realize how much I missed that postgame locker room feeling after a win. I haven't felt that since we won the Horizon League last year."
 
Hutter, a Montour High School graduate, has also continued to develop his game since leaving RMU. He's played professionally with Steel City FC in USL League Two, where he served as captain and helped lead the team to another U.S. Open Cup qualification.
 
During his collegiate career, Hutter appeared in 23 games across two seasons with the Colonials and established himself as a dependable, team-first presence.
 
Norris's return to playing alongside former teammates has rekindled a sense of camaraderie that he said he didn't expect to experience again.
 
"Playing with some RMU guys is special and I honestly thought I'd never have that opportunity again," Norris stated. "What I've missed about soccer is the team aspect and brotherhood it brings, so to get to be part of that with some guys I'm already close with is a bonus. Hutter is someone that I was close with and looked up to. He was a huge part in building what we did at RMU."
 
Glorioso, who played two seasons for RMU from 2019–20 and appeared in six matches, also made an immediate mark in Bridge City FC's debut, earning the win in goal. A North Allegheny alum from Wexford, Pa., has already helped set the tone for the club both on the field and in the locker room. Norris noted that Glorioso supported him early in his RMU career and is now helping him adjust to the indoor game in similar fashion.
 
McIvor, one of the most productive playmakers in RMU's recent history, adds veteran creativity to the new squad. He earned All-NEC Second Team honors in three straight seasons from 2015–17 and finished his career with six goals and 17 assists across 43 games, placing him among the top 10 in program history in assists.
 
Shaffer brings the most experience of any player on the roster. The Aliquippa native played for RMU from 2007–10, competing in 74 games—11th-most in program history—and totaling 13 goals and nine assists. A former team captain, Shaffer provides leadership and soccer IQ to the club.
 
Bridge City FC will make its home debut on Saturday, December 13 at 7:00 PM against the Lansing Red Cedars. With five former Colonials on the roster, the event will serve as a unique homecoming of sorts for the RMU alumni.
 
"It's pretty cool to be so close to RMU," Norris said. "It gives me a reason to come back to an area that felt like home the last four years, and I'm hoping it means some of the guys I used to play with will come out and support."
 
The team will compete in a 12-game regular season, facing each of its six Northern Conference opponents both at home and on the road. The conference features Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Wayne, Lansing, Rockford and Toronto. The Southern Division includes Amarillo, Boulder, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando and Salt Lake City.
 
The top two teams from each conference will advance to the 2026 MLIS Finals Weekend, scheduled for March 28–29, 2026, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
Fans can watch every Bridge City FC game live on the MLISPROTV YouTube Channel.
 
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