WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - William and Mary men's soccer head coach Chris Norris announced the College's 2012 schedule on Wednesday. The 18-match slate is comprised of seven home affairs in the friendly confines of Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field, while 11 contests will be played on the road, which include two neutral site tilts. The challenging docket is comprised of seven opponents that made last season's NCAA tournament, including 2011 national semifinalist Creighton.
In addition to Creighton, 2011 NCAA Tournament participants Delaware, Elon, Georgia State, James Madison, Old Dominion and St. John's highlight the Tribe's stout slate.
After a pair of scrimmages against Longwood (Aug. 13) and Virginia Tech (Aug.18), W&M will kick-off the 2012 campaign in Richmond, Va., as it faces Butler and VCU (Aug. 24-26), in a tournament hosted by Atlantic-10 foe VCU.
Non-league action continues with a road contest at St. John's (Sept. 8), before traveling to Omaha, Neb., for matches against Creighton and Drake (Sept. 14-16). W&M will conclude its non-league road schedule with an affair at High Point (Sept. 25). Last season, St. John's won the Big East championship before making a second-round appearance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Creighton also won its league title (Missouri Valley Conference) and made it all the way to the 2012 College Cup before dropping its national-semifinal match to eventual national champion North Carolina.
The College will open its home portion of the slate when it welcomes the Richmond Spiders (Sept. 1) to Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. The Tribe and Spiders last met during the 2009 season when W&M defeated its in-state rival, 7-0, in Williamsburg. Rounding out the home non-conference schedule is a match against defending Southern Conference champion Elon (Sept. 19).
W&M will open Colonial Athletic Association play at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field against Northeastern (Sept. 22). The home CAA schedule includes Drexel (Sept. 28), UNCW (Oct. 3), Georgia State (Oct. 10) and Delaware (Oct. 27). Last season, Delaware earned a NCAA tournament berth and advanced to the second-round, while Georgia State made a first-round appearance.
The Tribe will begin its league road slate at Towson (Oct. 6) and will travel to CAA counterparts George Mason (Oct. 13), Old Dominion (Oct. 17), James Madison (Oct. 24) and Hofstra (Oct. 31). In 2011, James Madison and Old Dominion earned NCAA tournament berths.
After regular-season play concludes, the conference's top six teams will advance to the 2012 CAA Tournament, with the top two seeds earning opening-round byes. The No. 1 seed will host the event when quarterfinal action gets underway on Nov. 3, while the semifinal and championship matches are slated for Nov. 8 and Nov. 10.
For all the latest news on W&M men's soccer go to TribeAthletics.com.
