ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan University men's soccer team opens postseason play in the East Coast Conference Championship this afternoon.
The Redhawks (5-6-4, 3-3-2 ECC) earned the fifth seed for the championship and will travel to Leesburg, Va., to play No. 4 University of the District of Columbia (5-6-6, 3-1-4 ECC) at 2 p.m. at Segra Field. The two teams played to a 0-0 tie in their Sept. 16 regular-season meeting on the grass field at Roberts.
"I think that it is going to be an interesting matchup between two similar teams," Roberts coach Scott Reber said. "I would say that we are playing better now and so are they. I think that it is going to come down to who has a better day."
Senior Tamas Nagy has had many good days for Roberts throughout his career. Nagy, the ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, finished second in the conference in points (27) and goals (11) while ranking sixth in assists (5).  Freshman Myles Palmer ranks second on the Redhawks with four goals and senior Nathan Ferguson has contributed three goals and two assists.
Sophomore Axel Gamez leads the Firebirds with nine goals this season and junior Sergio Becerra ranked second in the ECC in saves (48) and save percentage (.774).
Roberts trails UDC 4-6-1 in the all-time series, but is 2-0-1 in its last three meetings with the Firebirds. Roberts scored 19 goals in conference play, compared to 13 for UDC. The Redhawks allowed 17 goals while UDC conceded only seven. The winner of today's match will advance to play at top-seeded Saint Thomas Aquinas College at noon on Saturday. The winner of the ECC Championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship.
"Playing a full 90 minutes is important during the regular season and it is amplified even more in the postseason," Reber said. "If we stay true to who we are and stay dialed in, I like our chances."