The Roberts Wesleyan men’s soccer team is heading a national postseason tournament–the NCCAA Championships, or the National Christian College Athletic Assocation.

RWU finished the regular season with a 9-6-1 record, but when it came to the East Coast Conference playoffs.

“Especially when we went out the way we did this year and the year before,” said junior Lukes Hanes.
“We’ve lost in the first round of playoffs every year.”

The Red Hawks didn’t qualify for the NCAA Division II tournament, but did earn a spot in the NCCAA championships.

“Three years in a row now,” said junior Julian Silva. “So we’re blessed with that.”

An opportunity to extend the season and in some cases, college careers.

“Our goal is to play when it’s snowing out because that means we’re in the postseason,” said head coach Scott Reber. “We’re getting ready for the national tournament. So the fact that we’re out here again in the cold and having to bundle up, this is fantastic.”

But where the Hawks will be playing, it won’t be cold at all. The NCCAA Tournament takes place in Kissimmee, Florida and RWU has their sights set on something much higher than just a winter vacation.

“It’s amazing, it’s a great opportunity for us, for the team to go and get a little bit out of the cold here in Rochester,” said senior Benjamin Lazcano Barros. “But also, we know it’s a business trip and we gotta take care of business.”

The Red Hawks have come close to taking home hardware, with a semifinal finish last year and a runner-up stop in 2022.

“it’s important that we go down there, with the intent of winning it all,” Reber said. “And, we have the capability of doing it if we have our head right.”

So it’s safe to say Roberts Wesleyan has just one goal in mind.

“We got to win,” said junior Jack Hopson. “That’s what we’re going there for. We spend all the money that we spend to be able to go down there, we don’t just go there for a trip, we go down there to win.”

The Tournament begins on December 2nd, RWU’s first game is December 3rd.

The tournament is also in place to help those in need during the holidays. Each student-athlete will purchase a gift for a family with at least one incarcerated parent. The team is also asked to donate 30 pairs of socks.