Men's Soccer Unveils 2024 Schedule
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team and seventh-year head coach Paul Wright have announced the schedule for the upcoming 2024 season. Highlighting the 18-game regular-season slate are 10 home matches, which are set to be played on the USJ Soccer Field on the campus of USJ.
FULL 2024 MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
The men's soccer program stays close to home to open the 2024 campaign, playing its opening three contests in West Hartford. The Blue Jays officially kick off the 2024 season on Friday, August 30, hosting Fisher College of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) on the USJ Soccer Field at 3:30 p.m. USJ then welcomes a pair of opponents from Massachusetts, beginning with a matchup against Bridgewater State of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:00 p.m. USJ rounds out its opening three-game homestand with a meeting against Wheaton of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) on Saturday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m.
USJ then heads on the road for the first time in 2024, beginning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at Rivier University on Wednesday, September 11. Opening kickoff against the Raiders in Nashua, N.H., is set for 7:00 p.m. The team then returns to WeHa for a matchup against Lasell University on Saturday, September 14 at 5:00 p.m., before heading back on the road for the Blue Jays final non-conference game at City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) opponent John Jay College on Wednesday, September 18. Kickoff against the Bloodhounds in the Big Apple is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Blue Jays return to GNAC play on Saturday, September 21, traveling to Standish, Maine for matchup against the Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine. USJ then quickly returns to the USJ Soccer Field to face Elms College on Wednesday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m., before rounding out the month of September at Regis College in Weston, Mass., on Saturday, September 28 at 4:00 p.m. USJ opens the month of October by completing a two-game road trip at Dean College in Franklin, Mass., on Tuesday, October 1. Kickoff against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The men's soccer team then kicks off a three-game homestand, starting with a matchup against Colby-Sawyer College on Saturday, October 5 at 2:30 p.m. The meeting with the Chargers sets up the Blue Jays for its rivalry game against intrastate foes Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday, October 9 at 6:00 p.m. Following the game against the Falcons, USJ rounds out its home stretch with a meeting against Anna Maria on Saturday, October 12 at noon. The Blue Jays then hit the road for one game, making the trip to Boston to face Emmanuel College on Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m., before returning to WeHa to face last season's GNAC runners-up Norwich University on Saturday, October 9 at 1:00 p.m.
The final three games on the 2024 schedule feature one at home and two on the road. USJ first travels to Providence, R.I., on Wednesday, October 23 to face the reigning GNAC Champions Johnson & Wales University. The meeting, which is a rematch of the 2023 GNAC Semifinals, is slated for 4:00 p.m. The Blue Jays then play its final regular season road game on Saturday, October 26, making the trek to Henniker, N.H., to battle New England College at 3:00 p.m. USJ then returns to the USJ Soccer Field for its regular season finale, welcoming intrastate foes Mitchell College on Tuesday, October 29 for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff.
The top-ten teams in the league standings advance to the 2024 GNAC Tournament, which is set to begin with the first round on Thursday, October 31, with the seventh and eight seeds serving as hosts. The quarterfinals will be held on Saturday, November 2 and are hosted by the top-four seeds, followed by the Semifinals on Wednesday, November 6, which will be hosted by the remaining two highest seeds. The 2024 GNAC Championship Game is set for Saturday, November 9 and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
The Blue Jays are coming off a 2023 season that saw the team finish with a program best record of 13-2-3. USJ's record saw them continue their postseason streak, advancing to the GNAC playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, ensuring that the team qualified for the playoffs in every season since the program began in 2018. The Blue Jays first defeated Dean in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual champions Johnson & Wales in the semifinals.
Admission to all USJ regular-season men's soccer games in 2024 is free of charge. Fans who cannot make it to matches in person can watch all of the action live and on demand by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/usj/.
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