The Robert Morris University men’s soccer team’s regular-season schedule has been released for its 36th season.
In the 2025 season, the Colonials finished with an overall record of 6-4-7 and held a conference record of 3-1-5. Their season ended in Cleveland, Ohio, in the Horizon League versus Cleveland State in the semifinal round against the No. 1-seeded Vikings.
Despite going into the 2026 season with only 14 players from the 2025 roster, fourth-year head coach Jonathan Potter is confident that his squad will be ready for the test this season.
“The team had a really productive spring, played a really competitive schedule…so these guys got a ton of experience in those games,” Potter said.
Coach Potter has found success throughout his first three seasons with RMU, posting an overall record of 20-17-15 and a conference record of 10-8-9, with his most impressive accomplishment coming in the 2024 season, winning the program’s first Horizon League tournament and a berth to the NCAA tournament.
The Colonials will prepare for the 17-match regular season with a trio of exhibition games, with a pair of home games (Aug. 8 vs Rio Grande and Aug. 16 vs Seton Hill) and one road exhibition match (Aug. 13 vs Dayton).
RMU will kick off their regular season at home this season with a matchup against Drexel on Aug. 20. Before returning home for a two-game stand, the Colonials travel to New York for a matchup with Canisius in Buffalo, New York, on Aug. 23. After returning home, RMU welcomes Waynesburg University to Moon Township on Aug. 27 and will also host one of their Pittsburgh rivals, Duquesne, on Sunday, Aug. 30. The Colonials have lost to the Dukes in the past two seasons, with a home 3-1 win over a nationally ranked squad in 2024 followed by a 2-2 draw last season at Rooney Field.
“Duquesne is always fierce, physical, and so intense. The lessons you take from that carry really well into conference play,” Potter said about the importance of playing their Pittsburgh rival.
Structuring a non-conference schedule to give the team challenges while making sure the team has enough juice and avoiding burnout come conference play has many challenges in and of itself.
“Try to limit travel as much as we can, limit missed class time because in the Horizon League there is quite a lot of travel,” Potter said.
In the month of September, the Colonials will take the field six times, starting on the road against St. Bonaventure on Sept. 4. Horizon League action begins with the Colonials on the road versus Detroit Mercy on Sept. 9 before returning home.
Action returns to the North Athletic Complex for a pair of games starting on Sept. 14, playing host to Mercyhurst, and on Sept. 19 against Oakland in the first home conference game of the season.
The Colonials hit the road on Sept. 22 to end their non-conference play against Akron, followed by another road game against Green Bay on Sept. 26.
“We have to be so solid off the ball. We have to be really resilient and really disciplined,” Potter said of what he will need his team to do against Akron, a team that was featured on the NCAA’s Top 25 all of the 2025 season.
October’s slate is a month full of Horizon League action with six matches starting on Oct. 3 at the NAC vs Milwaukee, followed up with a road matchup against IU Indy on Oct. 7.
The Colonials host Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 10 during Alumni weekend before heading south, crossing the Kentucky border with a matchup against Northern Kentucky on Oct. 17. Senior Day is slated for Oct. 24, with Wright State traveling to RMU.
The Colonials will conclude the month of October on the road to where their season ended in 2025, on Oct. 30 against Cleveland State. The 2026 regular season ends at the NAC against the newest member of the Horizon League, Northern Illinois, on Nov. 3, with postseason play on the horizon.
Northern Illinois joins the Horizon League after departing the Missouri Valley Conference after three seasons. During their tenure in the MVC, the Huskies made the post-season conference tournament twice (2023 and 2025) and secured the regular season title in the 2025 season.
Due to the Huskies’ location, they find themselves taking on many Horizon League schools such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, and IU Indy, all of which are part of their non-conference schedule.
“They’re a good team. It will be a good addition to a tough league,” Coach Potter said.
The 2026 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship begins with the quarterfinals on Nov. 8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 11, with the championship match set up for Nov. 14.
The team will rely on senior leadership from the senior captain, Josh Lane, and seniors Tayshaun Reid and Storm Johansen to help guide their team through the challenging non-conference schedule and Horizon League play in hopes of securing their second Horizon League title in program history.
