HARRISONBURG, Va.- The 2025 fall sports season is here! Throughout this week, we will be taking a sneak peek at the year ahead for all of our fall sports. Today, we start by previewing the 2025 campaign for our men's soccer team.

Head Coach: Justin Carey – Fourth Season (14-23-18 Record)
Preseason ODAC Poll: 9th (42 pts.)
ODAC Preview
 
2024 In Review
EMU Men's Soccer utilized a stout defense and opportunistic offense to secure their second straight .500 season, finishing with a record of 6-6-8. EMU punched their ticket to the ODAC Tournament as the eighth and final seed, falling 2-0 to Lynchburg in the quarterfinals. Of note, the Royals defeated rival Bridgewater College 2-1, the squad's first victory over the Eagles since 2019. Defensively, the Royals posted nine shutouts across 20 matches in 2024, including five 0-0 results, which tied an NCAA Division III record.
 
2025 Schedule Highlights
Season Opener: Friday, Aug. 29 at Grove City College (6 p.m.)
Home Opener: Friday, Sept. 5 vs. John Jay College (4 p.m.)
Route 42 Rivalry: Wednesday, Sept. 17 at Bridgewater (4 p.m.)
Green Bandana Game: Tuesday, Sept. 23 vs. Mary Baldwin (7 p.m.)
Rowdy Royals: Saturday, Oct. 4 vs. Randolph Macon (7 p.m.)
Homecoming/Senior Day: Saturday, Oct. 11 vs. Randolph (3 p.m.)
Home/Regular Season Finale: Wednesday, Oct. 29 vs. Averett (7 p.m.)
Full Schedule
 
Key Losses:  Ford DeVault, Josiah King, Kaden Schrock
Key Returners:  Andrew Arledge, Matt Arledge, Yan Cesar, Logan Darrow, Chris Santisteban, Fernando Ventura
Full Roster
 
Outlook: The EMU Men's Soccer team is slated to be a strong squad defensively in 2025, bringing back three-year starting goalkeeper Andrew Arledge as well as the entire back line in front of him. In 2024, Arledge led the ODAC in both saves (86) and save percentage (.768), and he ranked third in the conference in both shutouts (8) and goalkeeper minutes (1774:57). Offensively, the Royals will have to replace 60% of their goal scoring from a season ago, including 2024 co-leading goal scorers King and Schrock. Ventura and Cesar will look to play a bigger role on the front lines this season. Among first-year players, Hamidullah Tokhi impressed during the preseason, scoring both of EMU's goals in a 3-2 scrimmage loss to Gettysburg.
 
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the EMU men's soccer program this year, follow EMU on Twitter and Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.