George Washington University Athletics
Men's Soccer Announces 2017 Schedule
7/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
2017 Schedule
WASHINGTON â€" The George Washington men's soccer squad will host seven regular-season contests as part of its 17-match slate this season, sixth-year head coach Craig Jones announced Thursday.
The Colonials will look to return to the A-10 Championships with the help of a strong schedule that features traditional powerhouse North Carolina along with another NCAA Championship qualifier from a year ago in St. Francis, Brooklyn.
"Our non-conference schedule is one of the most challenging we have had in recent years and will prepare us well for our A-10 portion of the season," said Jones.
GW will utilize three exhibition matches at home to tune up for the regular season, as James Madison visits the GW Soccer Field on the Mont Vernon Campus on Monday, Aug. 14, while the University of Charleston (West Virginia) visits on Thursday Aug. 17 followed by Mary Washington on Sunday, Aug. 20.
"The main aim of the three scrimmages will be to allow us to use most of our roster and see players in three competitive games," said Jones. "It will also allow the players to start building on-field relationships with each other and learn some new systems of play."
The Buff and Blue open regular season play with three contests on the road, starting at Binghamton on Friday, Aug. 25 for a 7 p.m. bout. The squad then travels to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m., followed by a visit to St. Francis, Brooklyn, on Friday, Sept. 1.
The Colonials open their home slate on Tuesday, Sept. 5, when they play host to William and Mary at 2 p.m., before hitting the road once again to battle Navy on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. GW returns home on Saturday, Sept. 16 to host UMBC for a 2 p.m. start followed by a visit to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Sept. 19 to take on the Tar Heels, who advanced to the College Cup semifinals a year ago, for a 7 p.m. bout.
NJIT comes to the GW Soccer Field on Saturday, Sept. 23 (2 p.m.) before the Colonials close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on the road at Stony Brook on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.
The Colonials open Atlantic 10 Conference play when they travel to Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a 7 p.m. start. The squad then returns home to host Revolutionary Rival George Mason for a 2 p.m. clash on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
"Every year I say it but I really believe that each year our conference is getting better and better," said Jones. "It's a very difficult conference schedule for us but our aim as always is to get in the A-10 tournament and give ourselves a chance to win a championship."
The Buff and Blue will also host Dayton (Oct. 7, 2 p.m.), Davidson (Oct. 18, 2 p.m.), and Duquesne (Oct. 21, 2 p.m.), and travel to La Salle (Oct. 11, 7 p.m.), VCU (Oct. 14, 7 p.m.), and St. Joseph's (Oct. 28, 7 p.m.).
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held from Friday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 12 at Dayton's Baujan Field.
