2024 Schedules

[Kuiper]

Cross-Posted from the Go West thread

Pomona-Pitzer just posted its schedule on its instagram page, although it's not up on its web page yet

They play UC Santa Cruz and Pacific Lutheran on opening weekend at Santa Cruz as part of a round robin and then hosts PLU's fellow NWC member Puget Sound the following weekend.  They have an interesting SCIAC draw this year (since they have gone away from the double round robin format, schools play some teams once and others twice).  They play Oxy, Redlands, Cal Lu, La Verne and Whittier twice, but CMS, Chapman, and Cal tech only once. On the one hand, this is a pretty tough draw since Oxy and Redlands were the class of the conference last season.  Plus, they only play CMS once and P-P gets up for that game no matter what the records (they beat them in the last game of the season in 2023).  On the other hand, having the 6th Street Rivalry game at CMS means it will be under the lights on a Saturday night and that should make for a pretty big combined crowd from the two schools that are on the same campus.  Also, if Cal Tech keeps trending up, it might not be a bad thing to only play them once.

[Kuiper]

Lyon

One of the so-called Baptist 4 from the ASC is listed as an opponent, with Howard Payne hosting Lyon on opening weekend (only other I have seen is East Texas Baptist playing an exhibition game against Hendrix).  Lyon played HPU last year, though, so that isn't surprising.

Northland

With the school's future seemingly secured, at least for next year, they have released their schedule.  Two of their three non-conference games are against brand new programs (Wisconsin-Stout and Wisconsin-Stevens Point).  The question is what Northland's roster will look like with the school's future so uncertain up until very recently.  They had 7 seniors last year and I don't know if they were able to secure much of a freshman class.  More significantly, they had 18 freshman and sophomores on the roster last year and only 6 juniors.  The juniors may stay to graduate, but I could see many of the underclassmen transferring either for a more stable school or because their major was cut in the curriculum reform that was part of the effort to cut costs.

[Kuiper]

Dickinson [UPDATED]

They play at Messiah in a game they only lost 1-0 last year in Carlisle.  They add Marymount, Shenandoah, and St. Mary's MD to their nonconference schedule this year.  All teams with winning records last year and St. Mary's lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to John Carroll.  That seems a step up from the non-conference foes they replaced from 2023 - Southern VA, Penn State Brandywine, and Hood.

Spalding

Playing Wilmington and Elmhurst at home on the second weekend of the season.

Marietta

Ambitious, but somewhat odd, 4+ hour trip to Roanoke for a single game on a Saturday in mid-September sandwiched between away Wednesday games at Franciscan the week before and at Case Western the week after.

[Falconer]

Dickinson

Thy posted their schedule on Instagram, although it doesn't appear to be on the website yet.  They host Messiah in a game they only lost 1-0 last year in Carlisle.  They add Marymount, Shenandoah, and St. Mary's MD to their nonconference schedule this year.  All teams with winning records last year and St. Mary's lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to John Carroll.  That seems a step up from the non-conference foes they replaced from 2023 - Southern VA, Penn State Brandywine, and Hood.

*** (SNIP)

Actually that Messiah-Dickinson game will be played in Grantham.

The Falcons also announced the incoming class, which is large and seems no less talented than the previous two groups (https://gomessiah.com/news/2024/5/8/mens-soccer-announces-incoming-class-schedule-for-2024-season.aspx). However, two FR from last year's roster are not on this year's roster, CB Mark Adja (who scored that goal on a brilliant header vs Dickinson last fall) and MF-Winger Bruno Franco, a Brazilian who played at Avon Old Farms High School (CT).

I do not know why either young man left the program. A highlight video of Franco, opening with the information that he has 3 years of eligibility left, went up last month: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaqARpfQTA. Presumably he wants to transfer, but I found no information about where, and of course D3 has always been completely free for that (as it should be). My assumption is he just wants more PT. Adja also put up a highlight video last month, starting with the Dickinson goal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXwRIRQlQA). He would have played a lot more had he not been injured for several games. Maybe he would even have started this fall, replacing Jake Lent-Koop who graduated and is now on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (https://www.riverhounds.com/roster/jake-lent-koop/) for whom he has not yet played. 

[Ejay]

The fact that Messiah has two incoming freshmen who already enrolled this spring just goes to show how different this program is from others in D3. I've never heard anyone even thinking of graduating HS early to get a jump on their D3 career. Certainly not something I would have ever done, but then again I wasn't recruited by Messiah ;-)

[Kuiper]

Hood

Coming off two straight three win seasons, it's not surprising that Hood has tried to schedule a few more competitive games, adding schools like Wilson College and Galludet instead of Lynchburg and Dickinson.

Thiel

After five straight years of either 0 or 1 wins, Thiel's problems really can't be solved with finding more evenly matched opponents.

Salisbury

Opens the season hosting Rowan and TCNJ in its own round robin tournament and then follows up the next weekend playing in the St. Mary's (MD) tournament against Centennial foes Dickinson and Washington College.  With games against Messiah, Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, St. Mary's (MD), Widener, York and home-and-away series against Mary Washington and Christopher Newport, Salisbury's strength of schedule could be through the roof.  I think the only opponents with losing records last year are Keystone, TCNJ, Stevenson, and York (which was just one win from being .500 and could be due for a rebound with Lycoming's former HC taking over).

Simpson

As discussed in the Go West thread, they play Colorado College and Concordia Moorhead in neutral site Lincoln, Nebraska on the second weekend.

[Kuiper]

Wilkes

Adds Marywood, Misericordia, Rosemont, Ursinus to the non-conference schedule this year.

Hobart

Opens the season with four straight road games, including at Oneonta, and then the home opener is against Rochester before starting conference play.  Not the easiest end to the season either, replicating its 2023 schedule playing a mid-week non-conference game against Buffalo State and then ending against St. Lawrence, but this year both of those games are away.

[Kuiper]

Williams

Reasonably challenging non-conference schedule for a NESCAC school.  @Wheaton (MA), Union, @Western Connecticut State, SUNY Cortland, and @Keene State.  Every one of those teams had a winning record last year.
 The Western Connecticut game is on a Sunday after playing Trinity the day before (where they will likely stay in a hotel in CT between games) and the Cortland game is on a Sunday after playing Bates the day before, so Williams is likely counting on the Bates and Trinity games not being particularly taxing.  If either or both NESCAC foes turn things around this year, that could make for difficult weekends.

Concordia Chicago

Carthage and Concordia open the season against each other again, this time at Concordia in Chicago.  Hosts Hope on Friday 9/13, which probably will be paired with a game at Chicago that weekend since Chicago played at Hope last year.

[PauldingLightUP]

Inaugural Stout schedule features four MIAC, four UMAC, two ARC, two NACC and one MWC.

https://stoutbluedevils.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule/2024

[mngopher]

Inaugural Stout schedule features four MIAC, four UMAC, two ARC, two NACC and one MWC.

https://stoutbluedevils.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule/2024

Going to guess that first game was set up a long time ago. Justin Oliver (current St Olaf head coach) was the UW-Stout head coach for a month or two before the St Olaf job unexpectedly opened up in July. He had been the associate HC at Olaf, so when Travis Wall left for Kenyon the Oles scooped Oliver back up for the sake of continuity. Justin's twin brother Tyler is the head coach at Hamline, which is the squad Stout will play in their inaugural game.

[Kuiper]

Wittenberg

Last year, they played Muskingum in the last game before opening conference play at Ohio Wesleyan.  This year, they are playing @Carnegie Mellon in that last game before hosting OWU to start conference play.  We'll see if the tougher pre-conference game better prepares them for the rigors of OWU or wears them out for that game.  Other than that game, the rest of the non-conference schedule is fairly similar to last year, either in opponent or level of opponent.

William Paterson

They open with a trip to the Boston area to play at Endicott and Gordon.  They also switch out Hunter College from last year with Brooklyn and Baruch College.

Keystone

Now that they have news that it looks like the college will stay open for at least another year, they have completed the partial schedule they posted earlier.  The big non-conference trip looks like the one to Salisbury before starting conference play.

[Falconer]

I see where Keystone has misspelled the name of one of their opponents. Free refills on coffee today for the first person who knows the answer.

[Ejay]

Cairn University, who happens to have a player with my favorite college name of all time... Moses Beers.

[PauldingLightUP]

Illinois College features two HCAC, four SLIAC, two CCIW and one ARC.

https://illinoiscollegeathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule/2024

[Kuiper]

Johns Hopkins

Heck of a way to start the non-conference schedule, playing at Washington & Lee and home to Sewanee on opening weekend and then hosting Kenyon and Rowan the following weekend.  They also host Mary Washington in a mid-week game sandwiched in-between the conference opener at Muhlenberg and the conference home opener against Ursinus.