ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan University men's soccer team will open its 2025 season with a non-conference match on Thursday, Sept. 4 at Malone University.

The Redhawks return 16 players from the 2024 squad that compiled a 9-7-3 record while earning the third seed for the East Coast Conference Championship and a third consecutive trip to the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I Championships in Kissimmee, Fla.

Coach Scott Reber has been impressed with what he has seen from the Redhawks in the off-season and preseason.  

"I like that we have a lot of talent and I like that we have a lot of depth," said Reber, who is entering his 11^th season at the helm of his alma mater. "I think that we've got a really, really solid core from last year with a lot of seniors in that group.

"Quite frankly, we have some pretty big shoes that were left by our graduating seniors, but the thing that I really like about these guys here is that they're all good."
Here are five things to know about the Redhawks:

SENIORS PROVIDE VETERAN PRESENCE

The nine-player senior class consists of five midfielders, two forwards, a defender and a goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper, Eric Jewson, emerged as the starter last season, compiling an 8-4-1 record with four shutouts. Reber said Jewson's strong play has carried over into the preseason.

Midfielders Iann Briones, Jack Hopson, Luke Hanes, Conlan McCoy and Dylan Baker provide experience and stability in the center of the pitch.

Briones earned third-team All-ECC honors last season while he and Hopson both were selected to the NCCAA Midwest Region first-team. Hanes has started 38 matches over the last two seasons and led Roberts with six assists last season.

Dwayne Lewis has been a mainstay on defense throughout his career while forwards Micah Cornfield and Julian Silva each scored a goal last season and are looking to contribute more this fall.

OTHER RETURNEES POISED TO STEP UP

Roberts will be counting on its other returning players to continue to progress.

Junior Archie Murphy is the Redhawks' top returning scorer after registering five goals and an assist for 11 points last season.

Junior Cooper Kerridge has started 36 matches in his first two seasons, logging about 1,300 minutes each campaign. Classmate Takumi Horan started 11 matches in 2024 and provides a steady presence on the back line and fellow juniors Maxim Dion, a defender, and goalkeeper Juan Daniel Espinosa Rubio have had strong preseasons.

Sophomores Aiden Ambeau (Greece Athena) and Sebastian Guerrero (Gates Chili) both played their high school soccer in the Rochester area and have had solid preseasons.

NEWCOMERS EAGER TO CONTRIBUTE

Roberts welcomes seven new players to the roster this season, including a junior transfer student, a sophomore up from the development team and five first-year players.

Forward Ewan O'Dwyer-Hall, a native of Southampton, England, scored 20 goals during two seasons at Onondaga Community College and Fernando Rivera, a sophomore defender from Brooklyn, earned a call-up after a solid season with the development squad in 2024.

The freshman class includes defenders Louis Ferrari and Mateo Pezzino, midfielders Pablo Garcia Alemany and Muzaffer Aydar and forward Mustafa Alshadeedi.

POLL POSITION

The Redhawks finished sixth in the ECC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 43 points.

Queens College topped the poll with 80 points and eight first-place votes and Mercy was second with 70 points.

Spots three through six were tightly bunched with the University of the District of Columbia (51), Molloy (48) and D'Youville (47) finishing just in front of Roberts.

BUSY START TO THE SEASON

As they do every year, the Redhawks will open the season with an ambitious non-conference schedule, playing their first five matches in a span of 14 days.

After starting with two games in Ohio, Roberts will play its home opener against Assumption on Sept. 9. The Redhawks will play two more games at Roberts Stadium prior to traveling to the College of Staten Island for their ECC opener on Sept. 20.

Roberts will hold its Senior Day prior to the Sept. 27 Homecoming Match against D'Youville. The regular season wraps up on Nov. 1 at Queens.