Dylan Ruiz is goal-oriented.
In fact, no player in the history of Roberts Wesleyan College men’s soccer has scored more goals than the 50 Ruiz has accumulated in his first four seasons as a Redhawk.
Ruiz delivered one of the signature moments of Roberts’ fall sports season by scoring a hat trick in a 4-1 win over Lancaster Bible College in the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament on November 17. His second goal eclipsed a 41-year-old record set by Jaime Rivera from 1977-80, and Rivera made the trip from his home in Miami to witness history at his alma mater.
Ruiz, who scored 17 goals and earned first-team East Coast Conference honors this fall, shared an emotional embrace with Rivera on the sideline after eclipsing the mark.
Ruiz, who was born in Canada but spent a great deal of his youth in Mexico City, where his parents Carolyn and Moises served as missionaries, is also driven to succeed in the classroom, where he carries a 3.47 grade-point average.
An accounting major who is considering becoming a CPA, Ruiz has been selected Roberts Male Scholar Athlete of the Month for November.
Ruiz, who plans to return for a fifth soccer season in 2022, took a few moments to discuss his record-breaking career, relationship with Rivera, and spiritual growth at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Soccer is huge in Mexico. Is that where you developed your passion for the game?
“Yeah, definitely there is nothing quite like it. In Mexico, anywhere you go there are people playing on the street. You go out with your friends and play on the street with a couple of rocks and nets. Just growing up in that culture, it is something that everyone does. I have two older brothers who are seven and five years older than me. They were always really into soccer, and it was kind of a way for me to connect with them and bridge the age gap through sport. So, soccer has always been a passion of mine just because of the way that I grew up, the culture I was in, and the opportunities that it has given me.”
Take me back to the moment when you became the career goal-scoring leader at Roberts Wesleyan College.
“It’s pretty awesome. When I play soccer, I don’t have other thoughts in my head; it’s all just about that game, that play, and what I’m doing in that moment. My head just kind of clears, and that is one reason why I love soccer. Now, afterwards and kind of seeing the impact and seeing Jaime making all of that effort to be there and see it, it really does feel amazing just to leave my mark and have my name be at Roberts forever. To be able to do that for this school is awesome because I love this school. It has given me some of the greatest moments of my life.”
What is the connection between you and Jaime Rivera like?
“He’s a great guy, and he’s a funny guy. He’s just very genuine, and he wants the best for everyone. I respected that, and I wanted to be able to do it for him. So, when I scored it, and I saw him there on the sideline, I had to go give him some respect, and he passed the torch to me.”
You switched your major three times; why did you choose accounting?
“I have always been someone who likes numbers, and accounting really drew me in. Someone explained it as a way of painting a picture with numbers. You can take the numbers that a company has in its statements; you can take those and figure out what is possible for a company to do and how they’ve gotten to where they’ve gotten. Unraveling what a business truly is through the numbers is what drew me in.”
Why did you decide to come back, and what can we expect from you next season?
“Everyone always says that college soccer comes and goes really quickly, and you need to enjoy it while you can. I plan on taking this opportunity and just finish with a bang. Hopefully, there are a lot of goals still to come. The extra year actually allows me to get enough credits to sit for the CPA exam while also playing soccer here at Roberts, so it is a win-win.”
Was the faith aspect of Roberts something that appealed to you?
“Yes. I have always been around the church and I have always been a Christian, so Roberts emphasized that, and I have actually grown in my faith a lot since I came to Roberts. It has been one of the greatest decisions of my life because if I was surrounded by other things, I don’t know if my faith would be as strong or as important to me as it is today.”
Provided information and photo
