CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State University head men's soccer coach Kirk Harwat announced the team's 2017 schedule Wednesday afternoon.
The slate will see the Vikings play 11 of their 17 regular-season matches on the road, including a five-match road trip and a four-match road swing.
Five of CSU's nine non-conference opponents were among the top 100 in last year's RPI while three more foes were among the top 125. Seven of the nine finished in the top half of their league standings last season while seven of the nine also had overall winning percentages of at least .500.
The Vikings will first take the field against outside opposition this fall in the form of three exhibition matches, all of which will take place at home. CSU will host Duquesne (Aug. 15), Saint Francis (Pa.) (Aug. 19) and Ohio Wesleyan (Aug. 21) in preseason action.
Cleveland State will open its regular season by hosting Robert Morris Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:00 p.m.
The Vikings then embark on a five-match road swing across the Midwest. CSU will face Bowling Green Aug. 29, marking the seventh straight season the programs have met. The Falcons finished second in the MAC last season and have faced CSU 33 times previously.
Cleveland State will spend Labor Day weekend playing a pair of Big Ten foes, as it meets Michigan Friday (Sept. 1) and faces Michigan State Monday (Sept. 4).
The Spartans were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament last season and finished the year ranked among the top 25. It will be first meeting between the two squads since the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Cleveland State continues the road trip Sept. 9 at Valparaiso before closing it out Sept. 12 at Xavier. It will be the Vikings' first visit to Xavier since 2003.
With six non-conference matches under its belt, CSU will open Horizon League play Sept. 16 when it hosts Northern Kentucky. The Vikings then visit Oakland the following Saturday.
CSU will host Loyola (Md.) Sept. 25 in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Horizon League play continues Sept. 30 (at Belmont) and Oct. 7 (vs. Milwaukee) before the Vikings commence a four-match road trip.
CSU starts the swing by traveling to local rival Akron Tuesday, Oct. 10. It will be the 56th all-time meeting against the Zips, the most CSU has played any opponent. Akron won the MAC Tournament last season to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Vikings will then have League matchups at Green Bay (Oct. 14) and at UIC (Oct. 21) before playing their road finale at Cincinnati. It will be the sixth consecutive campaign that the Vikings and Bearcats have met.
CSU will close the regular season by hosting Wright State Saturday, Oct. 28, and Detroit Mercy Friday, Nov. 3.
The 2017 season will be the first time since 2012 that CSU will have multiple road trips of four matches or longer within the same season.
