ROCHESTER, NY – Both the Roberts Wesleyan University Men's and Women's Soccer teams hit the road Thursday morning heading to New Hampshire for the First Round game of the NCAA Division II Championships.

MEN

When the NCAA Division II Tournament bracket was announced Monday night, the Roberts Wesleyan University Men's Soccer team saw its name pop up on the screen in a matchup with Wilmington (DE) University.

The first-round match will be played at 6 p.m. Friday at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH.

Roberts (10-2-7) earned the automatic bid to the tournament after playing to a 1-1 tie with Queens University and advancing with a 4-3 edge in the five-round penalty kick tiebreaker after two scoreless overtime periods in the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament Saturday night at Queens in Flushing, NY.

It is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Redhawks. The winner of the Friday match against Wilmington will face host Franklin Pierce Sunday afternoon.

 WOMEN

In an unexpected twist, the Roberts Wesleyan University Women's Soccer team found out Monday night that they would be facing a familiar foe in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament Friday.

The Redhawks (11-3-4), the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament champions, will face conference for Mercy in the first round of the tournament at 3 p.m. at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. 

Roberts defeated Mercy in the ECC Tournament Championship match Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory in Dobbs Ferry, NY and the same two teams will meet in the NCAA Tournament less than a week later.

It is the third trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Redhawks who advanced in 2015 and again in 2023 with at-large invitations. The automatic bid to the tournament is the first in school history.