La Roche College men's soccer coach Weston Hawley has been approached by public address announcers on several occasions this season with a request.

"Coach, can you give us some help with the pronunciations?"

Some of La Roche's players do have names that can be a challenge to pronounce -- such as defender Alaa Khdaler of Iraq, defender Dalibor Bradaric from Bosnia-Herzegovina or forward Jaiteh Ousman from Gambia.

And the public address announcer isn't the only person the Redhawks are proving troublesome to these days.

La Roche is also proving a tough challenge for opponents.

The Redhawks are 10-6-1 overall, 5-2 in the 10-team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and appear to be peaking at the right time. La Roche could very well be a factor in the upcoming six-team league playoffs scheduled for Oct. 27-Nov. 3, where an NCAA Division III playoff berth will be on the line.

But no matter how the rest of the season plays out for La Roche, the Redhawks will definitely end up No. 1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in one category -- diversity.

La Roche's 25-man roster resembles a mini-United Nations -- the team comprises four players from Equatorial Guinea and four from Jamaica, two each from Iraq and Liberia and one apiece from Kuwait, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gambia, China and Sudan. The United States has eight representatives, including Knoch High School graduate Aaron Hustleton

"The hardest thing during [preseason training] camp was taking soccer styles from all over the world and getting it on to one page," said Hawley, in his ninth season as La Roche's head coach.

Hawley said the La Roche men's soccer team's international flavor is a result of the school's recruitment of foreigners through different Catholic charities and outreach programs. Six of the foreign-born players spent time at Baldwin High School before moving over to La Roche.

The Redhawks' coach said during his first three or four years at La Roche the team was made up almost exclusively of players from Pennsylvania and nearby states.

Hawley said the diversity of his current team is fascinating and has him asking his foreign-born players "hundreds of questions" about what it's like in their own country.

The La Roche coach points out that his two Iraqi players -- Khdaler and defenseman Goran Rashan -- come from rival Muslim factions. One is Sunni and one is Shiite. In Iraq their families wouldn't interact. But at La Roche, the two have become best friends.

One of the African players on the team saw his father executed by a guerilla group.

Obviously, many of the players have dodged huge obstacles in their young lives. And the soccer field offers a release and a chance to participate in an activity that brings them joy.

La Roche's starting lineup has four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and two seniors. Hawley said the Redhawks could be an even stronger team next year.

Leading La Roche in scoring is Kurt Raymond, a junior forward from Jamaica with 20 points (9 goals, 2 assists). Reuben Jolo, a sophomore midfielder from Liberia, is second with 13 points (5 goals, 3 assists), while Knoch grad Hustleton is third with 11 points (3 goals, 5 assists).

Bosnia-Herzegovina's Bradaric, a junior, and senior goalkeeper Camillio DiLorenzo from Hermitage, Pa., anchor the defense. DiLorenzo has started all but two of the Redhawks' games in net and owns a solid 1.12 goals-against average and an .800 save percentage.

"As long as we stay healthy, we should do well," said Hawley. "Our first 11 to 12 guys can play. And now, they're playing together.

"It's a very enjoyable team to coach -- talent-wise and diversity-wise. It's just a joy working with these guys."