KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Roberts Wesleyan University men's soccer team came within inches of tying the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I National Championship game.
Twice.
The Redhawks trailed Columbia International University 1-0 when
Alex Perez Vega's shot from 25 yards away hit the crossbar in the 25
th minute and
Hunter Salisbury's blast from just outside the box hit directly off the cross bar four minutes into the second half.
The third-seeded Rams withstood everything No. 2 Roberts was able to muster and added two goals in the final 10 minutes to secure their first national championship with a 3-0 victory over the Redhawks at the Austin-Tindall Sports Complex.
Roberts, which ended its season with an 11-5-6 record, finished second for the third time in program history. The Redhawks were also the runner-up in 2002 and 2008.
"It was a long season and we had to grind it out every day," Roberts coach Scott Reber said. "I am super proud of the guys and everything that they accomplished this season. They certainly have a lot to be proud of."
CIU opened the scoring in the fourth minute as Bryan Molina finished a cross from Soya Yamamoto. The same pair connected again in the 82
nd minute and Yamamoto completed the scoring with an unassisted tally in the 87
th minute.
Roberts outshot the Rams (15-4-5) 12-9 and held a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
"The guys put forth the effort, things just didn't go our way tonight," Reber said. "Sometimes the scales tip in your favor and sometimes they don't and tonight they didn't."
Roberts seniors
Marc-Anthony Blackburn,
Jared Gibbons and
Dylan Ruiz were named to the All-Tournament Team and Ruiz, who graduates as the Roberts men's soccer record-holder with 66 career goals, earned the tournament's Golden Boot Award.
The game marked the final appearance in a Roberts uniform for seniors Blackburn, Gibbons, Ruiz, Perez Vega, Salisbury,
Ollie Ardle,
Josh DaSilva,
Pau Guillem Marzal and
Andrew Putnam.
Reber credited the seniors, who helped Roberts earn the No. 4 seed in the East Coast Conference Tournament, for leaving a lasting impact on the program.
"This class will certainly go down in the history books," Reber said. "They kept the ball moving forward and raised the standard for Roberts Wesleyan soccer, both on and off the field. I am sure that the returning players will help us to keep the ball moving forward, but these seniors leave big shoes to fill. I hope that when all of them look back that they will cherish these memories."
