HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's soccer team, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Shane Rineer, has announced a challenging 2015 schedule. The Fords are coming off of their third appearance in the Centennial Conference Championship match in the last four years and will have a veteran laden lineup tested with six of the team's 17 regular season games against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a season ago.
Haverford opens the season on Tuesday, September 1 on newly renovated Walton Field with a battle against Scranton. That home date is one of nine matches slated for the Fords' newly resurfaced field during the regular season. The opening weekend will also see the team travel to Stevens Tech and Rosemont that Saturday and Sunday. The match on September 5 against Stevens Tech will be the first meeting for the two squads since the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Stevens Tech made the NCAA second round a season ago. The Fords make the quick trip to Rosemont the next day to close a busy opening week.
The second rematch on tap from Haverford's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2012 comes on Sept. 12 when Wesleyan (Conn.) comes to campus. The last time these teams met, Haverford advanced with a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks during the 2012 postseason. The Fords will have one final tune up before opening the Centennial Conference slate in earnest as the team meets Montclair State for the first time in program history on Sept. 16. Montclair State was an NCAA qualifier last fall.
The Centennial Conference opens play on Sept. 19 as the Fords travel to Johns Hopkins for a rematch of last year's first round meeting in the conference tournament. Haverford was a 1-0 victor in the squad's most recent win against the Blue Jays which came on Walton Field.
After the start of Centennial Conference play, the Fords will have three non-conference games sprinkled throughout the remaining portion of the regular season. Haverford will meet Stockton for the first time since the 1985 season on Sept. 23 on Walton Field. The Fords will also travel to Rutgers-Camden (Oct. 7) and host Catholic (Oct. 13) during the non-conference slate in October. The match at Rutgers-Camden will be a rematch of last year's high-powered 7-3 victory for Haverford, while the home date with Catholic will be the first match since the 1986 season between the two schools after their scheduled date was canceled a season ago. Catholic made the NCAA second round in 2014.
After opening the Centennial Conference schedule at Johns Hopkins, the Fords will host McDaniel (Sept. 26), Dickinson (Oct. 10), Muhlenberg (Oct. 17), Franklin & Marshall (Oct. 24), and Swarthmore (Oct. 31). Dickinson, Muhlenberg, and Franklin & Marshall each made the NCAA Tournament last season, joining Haverford in the Centennial semifinals. The match with Muhlenberg will be a rematch of the 2014 Centennial Championship that finished in a 1-0 defeat after the Fords upset top-seeded Franklin & Marshall in the CC semifinals. Both the Mules and Diplomats finished their respective seasons in the NCAA Round of 16 last year.
The home finale on the regular season slate with Swarthmore will be the 95th meeting all-time between the two institutions. Haverford is 46-39-9 in the all-time series after tying on a goal with two seconds to play in regulation during the regular season meeting last fall. In addition to Johns Hopkins, Centennial Conference road matches include Washington College (Sept. 30), Gettysburg (Oct. 3), and Ursinus (Oct. 28).
Men's soccer went 11-7-1, including a 4-4-1 record in the Centennial Conference last fall. Haverford has made the Centennial Conference Tournament in each of the last four seasons under Rineer and has won 11 or more matches in each of those years, the longest such span in program history. Haverford graduates just one senior from last year's Centennial Conference runner-up squad.