Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces 2018 Men's Soccer Schedule
6/28/2018 1:06:00 PM | Men's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. — Head coach Tim Lenahan and the Northwestern men's soccer program have compiled one of the top schedules in all of college soccer for the 2018 campaign. The slate features 10 home contests at the beautiful Martin Stadium and eight matches against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams.
The opportunity to purchase season passes and individual game tickets will be announced at a later date.
"As usual, we tried to put together a very strong and balanced schedule," said Lenahan. "Between our early-season tests against traditional powers Xavier and Fordham, our Chicago Derbies and games against rising programs like Cleveland State, UMKC and Valparaiso, I think we really challenge ourselves in the nonconference."
The Wildcats open the 2018 slate with a preseason trip to Philadelphia, Pa., and New Jersey in August to take on St. Joseph's (Aug. 14) and Villanova (Aug. 17), before kicking off the regular season with the return of the Lakeside Classic to Northwestern's campus. The 'Cats will host Cleveland State at Martin Stadium on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m., before playing Xavier on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 3 p.m.
A trip up to Madison, Wisconsin, on Labor Day Weekend pits NU against Valparaiso (Sept. 1) and Fordham on Sept. 3. Fordham advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern swept its Chicago Derbies during the 2017 campaign, topping DePaul, Loyola and UIC. This season, the Wildcats will travel to Loyola (Sept. 7) and UIC (Oct. 16), while playing host to DePaul on Oct. 9.
Big Ten play opens for the Wildcats on Sept. 14 when Maryland comes to Martin Stadium. The Wildcats also host league-foes Michigan (Sept. 29), Penn State (Oct. 6) and Wisconsin Oct 24 in 2018.
"The Big Ten is as strong as it has been in my 18 years that I've been here with Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin all claiming NCAA bids last year," said Lenahan.
Northwestern will take its talents to Ohio State (Sept. 21), Indiana (Sept. 26), Rutgers (Oct. 12) and Michigan State (Oct. 19) in road conference action.
The Wildcats welcome Notre Dame to campus on Tuesday, Oct. 2, for the first time since 2012. NU topped the Irish, 2-1, in 2012 before Notre Dame went on to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern will close out its regular season with a contest against Concordia-Chicago on Oct. 26 before heading to the Big Ten Tournament.
Northwestern returns 10 starters from last year's team, including 21 of 22 goals scored.
The Wildcats' incoming recruiting class ranks No. 25 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's latest poll.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
The opportunity to purchase season passes and individual game tickets will be announced at a later date.
"As usual, we tried to put together a very strong and balanced schedule," said Lenahan. "Between our early-season tests against traditional powers Xavier and Fordham, our Chicago Derbies and games against rising programs like Cleveland State, UMKC and Valparaiso, I think we really challenge ourselves in the nonconference."
The Wildcats open the 2018 slate with a preseason trip to Philadelphia, Pa., and New Jersey in August to take on St. Joseph's (Aug. 14) and Villanova (Aug. 17), before kicking off the regular season with the return of the Lakeside Classic to Northwestern's campus. The 'Cats will host Cleveland State at Martin Stadium on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m., before playing Xavier on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 3 p.m.
A trip up to Madison, Wisconsin, on Labor Day Weekend pits NU against Valparaiso (Sept. 1) and Fordham on Sept. 3. Fordham advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern swept its Chicago Derbies during the 2017 campaign, topping DePaul, Loyola and UIC. This season, the Wildcats will travel to Loyola (Sept. 7) and UIC (Oct. 16), while playing host to DePaul on Oct. 9.
Big Ten play opens for the Wildcats on Sept. 14 when Maryland comes to Martin Stadium. The Wildcats also host league-foes Michigan (Sept. 29), Penn State (Oct. 6) and Wisconsin Oct 24 in 2018.
"The Big Ten is as strong as it has been in my 18 years that I've been here with Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin all claiming NCAA bids last year," said Lenahan.
Northwestern will take its talents to Ohio State (Sept. 21), Indiana (Sept. 26), Rutgers (Oct. 12) and Michigan State (Oct. 19) in road conference action.
The Wildcats welcome Notre Dame to campus on Tuesday, Oct. 2, for the first time since 2012. NU topped the Irish, 2-1, in 2012 before Notre Dame went on to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern will close out its regular season with a contest against Concordia-Chicago on Oct. 26 before heading to the Big Ten Tournament.
Northwestern returns 10 starters from last year's team, including 21 of 22 goals scored.
The Wildcats' incoming recruiting class ranks No. 25 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's latest poll.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
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