The Maryland men’s soccer team announced its 2017 schedule Monday, which includes home games against rivals Indiana and Georgetown.
The three-time defending Big Ten champions open the season on the road against Santa Clara on Aug. 25 before returning to Ludwig Field for a five match homestand.
The Terps face Hofstra in their home opener on Aug. 28 before hosting UCLA, Cal Poly, Indiana and Rutgers. By beginning Big Ten competition against the Hoosiers, who finished in second place in the conference last season and were ranked No. 9 in the final coaches’ poll, coach Sasho Cirovski’s squad will complete perhaps its most difficult conference test less than a month into the campaign.
After its early home stretch, Maryland will visit Penn State, Michigan State and UMBC before welcoming Northwestern to College Park on Sept. 29.
Then, the Terps, who went undefeated last regular season and won their fifth consecutive conference tournament, will travel to face Connecticut, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Maryland finishes the season with home games against Georgetown, Coastal Carolina, VCU and Michigan.
Last year, the Terps earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament but were upset by Providence in the second round. They opened with a 4-1 lead in the 54th minute, but the Friars mounted a stunning comeback, scoring four goals over the final 12 minutes to win 5-4 and end Maryland’s season.
The Terps return six starters from that squad, but four of their losses come from their defense, including 2016 First Team All-Big Ten goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier.
