ASHLAND, Va. – Randolph-Macon Men's Soccer has announced a 17-game slate for their 2025 fall schedule. The Lemon and Black finished 9-7-2 overall a season ago and has put together another tough schedule for this upcoming season. The Yellow Jackets will take on nationally recognized programs from prestigious men's soccer conferences of the OAC, USA South, NJAC and PAC. These non-conference games will be paired with a tough ODAC schedule for Randolph-Macon. Head coach Josh Laux enters his eleventh season at the helm of the Yellow Jackets men's soccer program. 

"We are excited to build off the momentum from last year where I thought we played some great soccer for most of the season. Our guys have put in a tremendous amount of work to pursue excellence on and off the field, and I am looking forward to watching them compete this fall. The schedule is a huge challenge starting with the opening weekend where we play two top level nationally recognized programs, but that's why these kids come here.  They want to play in meaningful games," says Laux 

Randolph-Macon kicks off the season at the end of August with five straight home matches. North Carolina Wesleyan will be the season opener for the Lemon and Black on Aug. 29. The Battling Bishops return to Ashland for the second straight season, falling to Randolph-Macon last year early in non-conference play. Ohio Northern University will be welcomed into the state of Virginia in just two short days later on Aug. 31. The Polar Bears will be a great test for the Lemon and Black, as they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament last season making it to the second round. The month of September will begin with a home matchup with Kean on Sept. 5. The Cougars play in an always tough NJAC conference that has multiple nationally ranked programs each year. Randolph-Macon will end its five match homestand with Regent on Sept. 7 and Washington and Jefferson on Sept. 13. 

The Yellow Jackets jump into a non-conference game with Averett due to unbalanced scheduling on Sept. 17 for the first away match of the season. Randolph-Macon will return to Ashland to complete the month of September with three matches, starting with Southern Virginia on Sept. 20 for senior day. The reigning USA South conference champions in William Peace will match up with the Lemon and Black on Sept. 23. The Pacers did fall to Randolph-Macon last season in Raleigh, North Carolina by a score of 3-0. The homestand and month will complete with the conference opener with Lynchburg on Sept. 27 during Family Weekend at Randolph-Macon. The Hornets were the ODAC runners-up last season and earned an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament, making it to the second round.

The month of October will begin on the road, as the Yellow Jackets head to Eastern Mennonite on Oct. 4. Randolph-Macon will head back home to welcome in Virginia Wesleyan on Oct. 8. This contest is followed by back-to-back away games with Guilford and reigning conference champions Washington and Lee on Oct. 11 and 15. The Generals made a run all the way to the national semifinals last season, falling to Connecticut College. The final four regular season matches will conclude with home games with Bridgewater and Shenandoah on Oct. 18 and 22. The Lemon and Black will travel to Randolph and rival Hampden-Sydney on Oct. 25 and 29.  

Laux adds, "I love that we have come so far.  The players have really elevated the program.  It has been a massive improvement from where things were.  With that said, we want more and hope to move from being a really good program to a great one.  I think we have the personnel and certainly the culture to make that jump this season."    

Over the course of Laux's Yellow Jacket coaching career, the Lemon and Black have gone 87-61-15. From 2006-14 before Laux took over, RMC was 43-96-15.