ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Playing well in the first five minutes of each half is a point of emphasis for Roberts Wesleyan men's soccer coach Scott Reber.
"We just try to get out of the starting blocks strong and set the tone early on," Reber said.
His team is getting the message.
Sophomore forward Justin Robertson scored twice in the first 10 minutes and junior Dylan Ruiz scored four times in the second half as the Redhawks (3-1) rolled to a 9-1 victory over visiting D'Youville College on Sunday afternoon.
"Coach makes us focus on the first five minutes of each half and that's what we did," said Robertson, who finished with three goals on four shots.
Robertson, a transfer from the University of Central Arkansas, corralled a ball at the top of the box, made a move and slid a low shot into the center of goal to open the scoring in the fourth minute.
Robertson struck again just over five minutes later. The Whitby, Ontario, native blocked a clearing attempt, settled the ball and broke in alone before finding the low left corner with 35:37 remaining in the first half.
D'Youville cut Roberts' lead in half on a goal by Chris Irazoke in the 59th minute before the Redhawks responded with three goals in 5:34 to regain control of the game.
"We always look at it like it is 0-0," Robertson said. "After they scored, the first five started again."
Robertson completed his hat trick by converting a cross from Ruiz at 60:16. Ruiz scored his first of the game, redirecting a feed from Jordan Sullivan just over three minutes later. Ryan Curtis capped the run off an assist from freshman Tamas Nagy, who picked up his first point as a Redhawk, at 65:50.
Ruiz has eight goals and two assists in three games and is forming a quick bond with Robertson, who has five goals and an assist this spring.
"Me and Dyl, from the first day, we knew that we had something special," Robertson said.
Reber agrees.
"Justin's got breakaway speed and Dylan is just a handful," Reber said. "They feed off of each other really well."
Curtis added his second of the game in the 72nd minute and Ruiz found the back of the net three times in just less than 10 minutes to cap the scoring. Sophomore Hunter Salisbury and Nagy added assists.
Sophomore Jared Gibbons and senior Joe McNulty shared goalkeeping duties for the Redhawks, who outshot the Saints 35-6 and had a 23-1 advantage in shots on goal..
D'Youville was playing its first game of the season. The teams were originally scheduled to play in Buffalo on March 30 but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the D'Youville program.
McNulty and fellow senior Elijah Jarvis were honored in a brief pregame ceremony.
The Redhawks return to action at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22 at Alfred State College.
