The Robert Morris men’s soccer team finds themselves in familiar territory this Wednesday. Just a year removed from winning the Horizon League tournament, the Colonials are now back on the road with a chance to go back-to-back on the line.
The team will kick off against Cleveland State later today, a team they drew 1-1 with earlier this year. Last meeting, saw a slow game explode in the final minutes, with RMU scoring with five minutes left and the Vikings finding a response in the with one second left on the clock.
The fairly even match tells the tale of the Horizon League as a whole this year, as the gap between the lowest playoff seed and the eventual top seed was slim.
The Colonials, who are the fifth seed, finished only four points behind the top-seeded Vikings. RMU’s five draws, a fact that has been both praised and patronized, ended up hurting the team, as the team only earned five points from those games.
If the team had seen out some of those games, such as the one against the Vikings, then the playoff picture could have been completely different.
The Colonials dropped only one conference game, losing 2-1 to Green Bay on Halloween. But since that loss, RMU has looked like a championship team from seasons past.
A 3-0 win against Wright State and a scrappy 2-1 win against Milwaukee in the first round leave the Colonials with momentum as they enter Cleveland.
On the other side, the Vikings enter tonight’s matchup rested. As the top seed, Cleveland State received a bye in the first round. Since their draw against RMU, the Vikings have produced a 3-1-1 record, their lone loss also coming at the hands of Green Bay on the final day of conference play.
In that run, Cleveland State has scored 11 times while conceding seven. Ten players have contributed to the 24 total goals for the Vikings this season, so while no specific player may threaten, the team’s overall well-roundedness shows why it is the top seed.
The Colonials will rely on their many playmakers, but none more so than Anass Hadran, who has been on fire as of late. The Moroccan has scored in four consecutive games, including both goals in the first-round win over Milwaukee.
Hadran currently sits at six goals on the season, the most on the team, and has also tallied four assists. The player has been asked to play differently compared to past seasons under Coach Potter, but his output, regardless, shows the skill and talent that the Colonials will need to overcome the Vikings.
You can watch RMU take on Cleveland State in the Horizon League quarterfinals on ESPN+. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Cleveland.
