IU men’s soccer released its schedule Wednesday afternoon for the 2017 season, which will kick off Aug. 25 in South Bend, Indiana, against Cal Poly.
The Hoosiers will face another stiff schedule this upcoming season. They face seven teams that finished in the RPI top 50 last season and six sides that made the NCAA Tournament last season. The early part of the schedule features a bit of a West Coast flare like it did a season ago.
The schedule kicks off with the Hoosiers in South Bend for their annual appearance in the Mike Berticelli Tournament. They will play two matches against Cal Poly and San Diego.
Another big weekend early in the season comes with the IU Credit Union Classic. The Hoosiers will feature twice as they will play San Francisco on Sept. 1 and South Florida on Sept. 3 in Bloomington. Butler is the fourth team included in the Classic.
“Our 2017 schedule will bring excitement and top programs to Armstrong Stadium,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said in an IU Athletics release. “This year’s schedule will include our regional and Big 10 rivals in addition to top teams from the west coast. With a strong returning team and a talented incoming class, we feel our 2017 team is prepared to have a special year.”
The Big Ten slate starts with the same team it started with a season ago. IU will travel to College Park, Maryland, to face the defending Big Ten champion Maryland Terrapins. All of the Big Ten matches are reverse fixtures of last season. If the Hoosiers were hosts to a team in 2016, they will travel to face them this season.
The Hoosiers also face a few non-conference foes during the season. Notre Dame, Santa Clara and Evansville are three non-conference matches at the end of September and beginning of October. IU also plays Kentucky at home Oct. 11. The only true road non-conference game comes Oct. 18 against Butler. One interesting omission from the schedule is the Louisville Cardinals, whom the Hoosiers beat last season in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Big Ten Tournament will begin on Nov. 5 at campus sites while the semifinals and finals will take place at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
IU will also play three exhibition matches against Xavier at home Aug. 14, against Louisville at Grand Park on Aug. 17 and against Duke on Aug. 19 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Josh Eastern
