With their dominating 5-0 win over IUPUI on Wednesday, the Robert Morris men’s soccer team has won three of their last four matches and is getting hot at just the right time, as they will face Oakland this weekend to open up their playoffs after finishing the season strong. Robert Morris looks to advance further than they did last fall when Milwaukee eliminated them in the first round by a score of 1-0.

The last two seasons have marked a turning point for the RMU squad as they have made the Horizon League tournament two seasons in a row after several seasons missing out on the dance.

The Standouts

The emergence of Chase Gilley has undoubtedly buoyed this season’s success. Gilley is the team’s leading point scorer with 14 points, six goals, and two assists, including two game-winners.

Friedrich Petrelli, the team’s goaltender, becoming an anchor in the net, also helped the team put together a solid 2022 regular season campaign. Petrelli started all 15 matches and posted six shutouts and 1.16 goals against average this year.

How They Got Here

The team has gotten hot lately, going 3-1-1 in their last five matches. Their only loss was a nail-biting 1-0 loss to Horizon League leader Cleveland State in a game that could have gone either way. There was no better representation of this hot streak than a 5-0 stomping of IUPUI, a quality opponent, to end their regular season.

Now, this Robert Morris team will set their sights on the Golden Grizzlies, a team the Colonials are 0-4 against historically, as they look to advance to the next round. There is no better time than the playoffs to make history for a soccer program on the rise.

Overall, the Colonials have played a very balanced game all season, with ten players scoring goals and 17 players total getting points for either goals or assists. The team’s depth should help them down the stretch if they can make a run in the Horizon League Tournament.

The Colonials will play Oakland in the opening round on Sunday at 1 p.m.