NORFOLK, Va. -- Head coach Alan Dawson and the Old Dominion men's soccer program have announced the schedule for the 2016 season.
"As we do every year. we have a non-conference slate that is very challenging," stated Dawson. "We play numerous teams that are returning from strong 2015 campaigns, which should prepare us for the challenge that awaits us in Conference USA."
The 2016 slate opens with a six-game homestand that features the season opener against UNLV on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m., as well as the 41st Annual STIHL Classic on Sept. 9 and 11.
The 2016 STIHL Classic will pit the Monarchs against reigning America East champion Vermont in the fan-favorite Friday night game, followed by a showdown with in-state foe and reigning Big South champion Radford on Sunday. At 41 consecutive years, the STIHL Classic is the longest-running active men's soccer tournament in Division I.
"Vermont is an exceptional and very well-coached team that should pose a real challenge for us," said Dawson about this year's STIHL Classic. "Radford is coming off of arguably its best season in program history and are certainly a program on the rise."
The remainder of the non-conference slate is headlined by an early Octobor road trip to Conway, South Carolina, to take on perennial power Coastal Carolina, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and ended the season ranked 20th in the country.
"Coastal Carolina beat us here last year," said Dawson about the Chants. "Every year, Coastal is a very quality team and will pose a good test for us in the non-conference."
The non-conference slate also features home contests against Stetson and Loyola (Md.), as well as road trips to VCU and Campbell.
The Conference USA schedule features home games against Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, South Carolina and FIU, and away contests at UAB, Kentucky, Marshall and New Mexico.
"Conference USA is a league where you can lose on any given day," said Dawson about the conference schedule. "Anybody can beat anybody in our league. As a league, we should have six or seven teams that are in contention for qualifying for the NCAA Tournament."
Overall, the schedule features seven teams who earned berths in last year's NCAA Tournament and a total of four teams who ended the 2015 season ranked in the NSCAA Coaches' Top 25.
| Date - Time | Location | Opponent | Conf. | 2015 Record | NCAA | Rank | ODU vs. |
| Aug. 26 - 7 p.m. | Home | UNLV | WAC | 12-7-1 | --- | --- | 0-2-1 |
| Aug. 28 - 7 p.m. | Home | Stetson | A-Sun | 5-8-2 | --- | --- | 0-0-0 |
| Sept. 3 - 7 p.m. | Home | Loyola (Md.) | Patriot | 2-13-2 | --- | --- | 7-13-2 |
| Sept. 9 - 7 p.m. | Home | Vermont | A. East | 11-7-3 | 1st Rd | --- | 0-1-0 |
| Sept. 11 - TBD | Home | Radford | Big South | 14-4-2 | 1st Rd | RV | 4-0-0 |
| Sept. 17 - 7 p.m. | Home | Charlotte | C-USA | 11-6-3 | 2nd Rd | #21 | 8-2-4 |
| Sept. 20 - 7 p.m. | Away | VCU | A-10 | 7-10-4 | --- | --- | 24-8-5 |
| Sept. 24 - 7 p.m. | Away | UAB | C-USA | 5-11-0 | --- | --- | 8-0-0 |
| Oct. 1 - 7 p.m. | Away | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt | 13-3-4 | 2nd Rd | #20 | 1-2-0 |
| Oct. 7 - 7 p.m. | Home | Florida Atlantic | C-USA | 2-12-2 | --- | --- | 3-0-0 |
| Oct. 11 - 7 p.m. | Away | Campbell | Big South | 10-9-0 | --- | --- | 4-1-1 |
| Oct. 15 - 7 p.m. | Away | Kentucky | C-USA | 12-5-2 | 1st Rd | RV | 0-2-2 |
| Oct. 22 - 7 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | C-USA | 12-8-1 | 2nd Rd | #22 | 4-3-0 |
| Oct. 26 - 7 p.m. | Away | Marshall | C-USA | 8-9-2 | --- | --- | 2-2-0 |
| Oct. 29 - 7 p.m. | Home | FIU | C-USA | 12-7-1 | 1sd Rd | #24 | 2-2-0 |
| Nov. 5 - 9 p.m. | Away | New Mexico | C-USA | 8-6-4 | --- | --- | 2-2-0 |
STIHL Classic in tan || Conference USA games in gray || All times ET
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