On ‘Bonus Time’ Robert Morris men’s soccer remain confident ahead of NCAA tournament challenge at Michigan

When asked to describe the emotions of the past week and his thoughts on his team’s status, Robert Morris men’s soccer team captain Gabe Norris cut right to the chase.

“We’re on bonus time,” Norris added.

“These are extra games we get to play. We’re excited at looking forward to the next challenge.”

There are a multitude of reasons why Norris is reveling in having bonus time to extend his collegiate career.

The senior midfielder from Natrona Heights, who many of his teammates call ‘yinzer’, took a vicious elbow to the face, which split his lip and chipped a tooth, forcing him into concussion protocol during the second half of Saturday’s Horizon League Championship game.

“When I’m in a game, I don’t get too nervous,” Norris admitted.

“Watching it from the sideline. I couldn’t handle it. It’s horrible.  I was on the sideline watching my best friends trying to fight for a championship.”

Fortunately for Norris, his teammates came through, closing the game out, for a 1-0 victory to win the program’s first Conference title since 2005, when many of the current players were barely old enough to walk.

Now, for Norris and his teammates, bonus time means a trip back to the same state where they were last weekend, to take on the Maize and Blue, the Big 10’s Michigan Wolverines (Thursday, 6 p.m. ET).

“We’re excited for the challenge ahead,” RMU’s Head Coach, Jonathan Potter, said.

There have been numerous contributors to the Colonials’ success.

Chase Gilley’s seven goals rank third in the Horizon League, while his four game-winners are a league best — including hitting the game winner in the Horizon League semifinal win vs Milwaukee.

With 19 points this season and an assist against Oakland, Gilley reached a milestone of 50 career points (19g, 12a).

Anass Hadran leads the Horizon League with seven assists this season, bringing his career total to 12.

On the defensive side, the Colonials did not concede a goal in the tournament, en route to the program’s fourth all-time conference tournament title (NEC: 1993, 1994, 2005; HL: 2024).

Sophomore goalkeeper Josh Lane anchored the backline, recording eight saves and two clean sheets — which also earned him some additional honors this week.

Working together to form a cohesive unit, defensive midfielders and back line consisting of Fabian Overkamp, Norris, Victor Koah, Victor Thompson, and William Dodzi Afawubo were instrumental in maintaining the team’s resolute defense.

In the Championship game, it was a soft spoken transfer from Tulsa, by way of the UK, Thompson, who scored the game’s lone goal on a brilliant strike from beyond the box.

“To see him score a goal like that, and for him to show the emotion he showed, it was awesome,” Norris added.

“It rallied the guys even closer together.”

The seeds of this team’s success and motivation this season can be rooted back to 2022, when the Colonials faced Oakland in the Horizon League Quarterfinal, losing a penalty kick shootout, in what turned out to be then Head Coach Jason O’Keefe’s last game.

Potter, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C., who spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Presbyterian, managed to build upon the core from that team along with numerous quality additions to the program.

“Each one of these guys has grown. They have their story in history, to let us to where we are today. (Victor Thompson)’s had some ups and downs in his career, but to score the game-winner in championship game, was tremendous. It just gives the guys belief.  At halftime, the guys were very switched on. They knew what they had to do.”

Early in the season, Potter’s squad was still trying to figure things out, having earned just one win in its first five matches (1-2-2), but a convincing win in a non-conference encounter with Duquesne, who were ranked 23rd in the Top Drawer rankings when they met in September, proved to be a crucial confidence builder ahead of Horizon League conference play.

“This sport is all about confidence and belief. The parity in Division I soccer is pretty high,” Potter said.

“The talent level among most teams is pretty even. It comes down to confidence and mindset of people, it’s belief. You have to win games to get that belief.  For our guys to win that particular match, in the fashion that we did, to be dominant in that game. Gave the guys a lot of belief that no matter who we play, we can win. Those experiences battle-test you for knockout games.”

Now, the Colonials step outside of conference play again, facing a power-five school that has played some stiff competition.

Michigan is 8-4-7 this season and finished with a 2-3-5 mark in Big Ten play. In the Big 10 conference tournament, the Wolverines made a run to the final, beating Indiana 1-0 and tying UCLA 1-1 (winning on penalty kicks 4-2) advancing to the championship game.

At No. 1 Ohio State, they just fell short, losing 1-0.

Offensively, senior Jason Bucknor has a team-high six goals. Bryce Blevins has produced 18 points (5g, 8a) while Beto Sota has passed out nine assists. In net, sophomore goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson has started in 14 games, earning five wins with five clean sheets.

Robert Morris are looking forward to their latest challenge with plenty of confidence.

“I think this team has all the ingredients of a team that can win games in the NCAA tournament,” Potter stated.

“We defend well. We consistently score goals. We are physical. We’re good on set pieces. We are going to play a good opponent in the first round, so we’re going to go there with the intention to compete, not just happy to be there. We are certainly going to be ready for that challenge.”

RMU MSOC MATCH NOTES

CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP

RMU (9-6-3, 4-3-2 Horizon League) celebrated a historic moment by capturing their first Horizon League Championship and first conference title since 2005. Entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed, the Colonials earned a bye to the semifinals, where a second-half goal from Chase Gilley secured a 1-0 win over No. 3 Milwaukee—marking RMU’s first Horizon League playoff victory and their inaugural final appearance. In the championship match against top-seeded Oakland, Victor Thompson delivered the game-winning goal in the ninth minute, assisted by Chase Gilley and Anass Hadran.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

• Chase Gilley’s seven goals rank third in the Horizon League, while his four game-winners are a league best. With 19 points this season and an assist against Oakland, Gilley reached a milestone of 50 career points (19g, 12a).
• Anass Hadran leads the Horizon League with seven assists this season, bringing his career total to 12.
• Goalkeeper Josh Lane’s six shutouts are tied for the most in the league this season.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

RMU returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years under Head Coach Jonathan Potter.

Not RMU’s First NCAA Rodeo: Robert Morris return to NCAA men’s soccer tournament for fourth time, first since 2005

The Colonials’ last appearance in 2005 ended in a narrow 1-0 loss to West Virginia.

In 1994, RMU earned their first NCAA Tournament win, defeating Lafayette 1-0 before falling to #13 Penn State in the next round. The program’s NCAA debut came in 1993, also against Penn State. Thursday will mark RMU’s fourth appearance in the tournament as they aim for their second all-time NCAA victory.

ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN

RMU and Michigan have only played each other once, coming in the year 2001. The Wolverines won the match, 2-1.

Next Up 

The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to face Atlantic 10 champion Dayton in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Sunday, November 24, at 7:00 PM.