NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion men’s soccer hosts five non-conference matchups in the build-up to the 2026 Sun Belt Conference opener, as ODU head coach Tennant McVea announced ODU’s 2026 schedule on Wednesday.
“I’m really excited about the extremely competitive schedule we’ve put together this year,” said ODU head coach Tennant McVea. “Tough early season games against quality opponents will stand us in good stead going into conference play.”
ODU will warm up for the start of the 2026 season with two exhibition matches. The first will be away at Duquesne on Saturday, August 8 at 1 p.m. The second and final exhibition is against American at the ODU Soccer Stadium on Friday, August 14 at 4 p.m.
The Silver and Blue begins their 2026 campaign against George Washington in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, August 20 at 2 p.m. Old Dominion opens its season with a matchup against the Revolutionaries for the fourth-straight season and won last year in Norfolk, 2-0.
ODU begins a five-game homestand on Monday, August 24 at 6 p.m. against Elon at the ODU Soccer Stadium. The Monarchs played out a scoreless draw at Elon last season in North Carolina.
The Monarchs host Lehigh on Friday, August 28 at 7 p.m. in Norfolk. The Monarchs drew the Eagles, 2-2 last season in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania after Evan Watt opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Alex Kryazhev regained the lead in the 61st. However, two goals from Yusef Gueye scored in the 27th and the 89th to finish the match honours even.
ODU takes on Radford on Wednesday, September 2 at 6 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Stadium. The Monarchs last met the Highlanders on September 1, 2024 and came away with a 1-0 win in Norfolk thanks to a goal by William Arnesen in the 17th minute.
Old Dominion then shifts focus to taking on Bucknell on Sunday, September 6 at 1 p.m. The Monarchs fell to the Bison last time out, 4-2 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Lewis Rourke opened the scoring in the second minute and registered a brace in the 90th.
The Monarchs round out its non-conference homestand against UMBC on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m. Old Dominion faced the Retrievers last season in Baltimore, Maryland and gave the home team its first loss of the season with a 1-0 win that saw Rourke score the game-winning goal in the 78th minute.
ODU heads to Richmond, Virginia for an in-state derby match against the VCU Rams on Monday, September 14 at 4 p.m. The Monarchs hosted the Rams last season at the ODU Soccer Stadium but fell, 2-1 after a late VCU winner was scored by Mohammed Ibrahim in the 87th minute.
“The sunbelt conference gets stronger and stronger every year,” said McVea. “We need to be playing high-quality soccer week in and week out and this schedule gives us the opportunity to do that.”
The Silver and Blue have back-to-back home matches against South Carolina and William & Mary. ODU kicks off its Sun Belt Conference action against the Gamecocks on Friday September 18 at 7 p.m. The Monarchs then host in-state foe W&M in its final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday September 22 at 6 p.m.
Old Dominion heads to Statesboro, Georgia to face Georgia Southern on Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m. Last season ODU fell to the then #25 team in the nation, 2-1 but a goal from Kryazhev in the 86th minute led to a frenetic end to the match.
ODU stays on the road and will make their way to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. The Monarchs saw the Wildcats on the final day of the 2025 regular season in Norfolk for senior night and found a late goal by Rourke in the 75th to earn a 1-1 draw.
The Monarchs return to Norfolk and face off against West Virginia on Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m. ODU played the Mountaineers twice last season with the first match going in favor of WVU at home in Morgantown, 1-0. ODU then matched up with West Virginia again in the Quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship. Rourke scored a brace and found his second goal with an overhead kick in the 83rd minute to take a 2-1 lead, but WVU’s Pablo Pozos scored the equalizer in the 90th to send the game into extra time. Both sides went scoreless in it and the game went to penalty kicks where WVU edged ODU, 5-4 to advance.
ODU heads back on the road and faces UCF in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, October 17 at 7 p.m. ODU met the Golden Knights in Norfolk last season and earned a 1-1 draw after Rourke equalized the game in the 24th minute. UCF went on to win the Sun Belt Championship after defeating Marshall, 3-1.
The Silver and Blue hosts Georgia State on Wednesday, October 21 at 6 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Stadium. ODU suffered a 5-2 loss to the Panthers in Atlanta, Georgia last season.
Old Dominion will go south to Conway, South Carolina to match up with Coastal Carolina on Sunday, October 25 at 6 p.m. Freshman forward Otu Bisong scored two goals and earned himself Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week last season in ODU’s 2-1 victory over the Chants.
This season’s edition of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry will be held in Norfolk on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. when the Monarchs meet James Madison. It will be Old Dominion’s final home game of the season and is senior night. Last season the two sides met on Halloween and finished the game with a 1-1 draw after Rourke scored a late equalizer in the 87th minute.
The Monarchs’ final game of the regular season will be in Huntington, West Virginia against Marshall on Tuesday, November 3 at 7 p.m. In last year’s campaign, ODU hosted the then #12 Thundering Herd in Norfolk with ODU outshooting Marshall, 7-4 and 4-2 in shots on target. Neither side could find the back of the net and ODU split the points with the visitors.