GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University men's soccer team released its 2017 schedule on Wednesday. The Profs play 10 games at home and eight on the road with nine conference contests.
 
In 2016, Rowan (17-3-1) reached the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Game and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Profs get ready for the campaign with three exhibition games in Spain from Saturday-Wednesday, Aug. 5-9.
 
Rowan will see a lot of the home crowd in the early portion of the schedule, as six of its first eight matches are in Glassboro. The season opens with the Gilmore Alumni Classic on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 1-2. The Profs face Keystone College on Friday and Lycoming College on Saturday. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. The Giants qualified for the Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship Tournament last year.
 
"Last season, we were on the road a lot more and I think we were able to learn from that," said head coach Scott Baker. "However, being able to play at home and get into a rhythm is going to help us build momentum for the postseason."
 
Next, the men's soccer team hosts Albright College on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Rowan heads to Rutgers-Camden for the Cialella Soccer Classic on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 9-10. The Profs battle Christopher Newport University on Saturday and Frostburg State University on Sunday with both games kicking off at 2 p.m. The Captains were the 2016 Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Champions and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Bobcats played in the CAC Championship Tournament.
 
"We had a really strong schedule last year and it worked to our benefit," said Baker. "We tried to make it even stronger this season. As tough as our conference schedule is, I think our non-conference schedule is just as competitive."
 
Rowan returns to Glassboro for three straight games starting on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. versus Hood College. The Blazers qualified for last season's Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Championship Tournament. The Profs begin NJAC play against New Jersey City University on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Franklin & Marshall College visits on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The Diplomats were the runner-up in the Centennial Conference and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
The men's soccer team travels to William Paterson University on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. before hosting Stockton University on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Rowan treks to Kean University on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a 1 p.m. conference contest.
 
The Profs take a break from their NJAC schedule to play at Muhlenberg College on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. Montclair State University comes to campus on Saturday, Oct. 7 for a 7 p.m. match. The Red Hawks are the defending conference champions. Rowan heads back to Camden on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. to take on the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Newark, the 2016 NJAC regular season champion, is in Glassboro for Homecoming weekend on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. The Scarlet Raiders made it to the NCAA quarterfinals last season. Two of the final three games are away, beginning on Monday, Oct. 16 at Brooklyn College. The Bulldogs participated in the City University of New York Athletic Conference Championship Tournament a year ago.
 
The penultimate contest is at Ramapo College on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 12:30 p.m. The Profs end the regular season at home versus The College of New Jersey on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
 
"The only certainty in our conference is that there are always going to be surprises," said Baker. "Any team can beat everyone else. We are not going to go into any game thinking that we have already won."
 
The NJAC Championship Tournament begins with first round matches on Saturday, Oct. 28. The semifinals are set for Wednesday, Nov. 1 with the final on Saturday, Nov. 4. The conference champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
 
"I think our key stretch is going to be at the end of the year," said Baker. "We did so well last season but we lost two of our final three games and we only had three losses overall. We need to do better in the conference tournament and the national tournament."
 
The men's soccer schedule is available at: http://rowanathletics.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=205&path=msoc