MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons has announced the 2018 men's soccer schedule, which features nine home matches.
 
The 2018 schedule includes 18 regular-season matches, with nine at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers also have two home exhibition matches on the schedule.
 
"The 2018 schedule is another fun and challenging one for our program," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We will play some traditional powerhouses like Maryland and Akron, but also continue some traditional rivalries sometimes lost in the era of conference realignment, such as Cincinnati and Pitt. Overall, we have a schedule that will prepare and test us during the entire 2018 campaign."
 
WVU's 2018 schedule is highlighted by home matchups against Pitt and Cincinnati, as well as Mid-American Conference foes SIU Edwardsville, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois. On the road, the Mountaineers will face four NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, at Maryland, Akron and Western Michigan along with a neutral-site contest against UNC Wilmington.
 
The 2018 regular season begins with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for two games. WVU will play at the College of Charleston on Friday, Aug. 24, before a neutral-site matchup with UNC Wilmington on Sunday, Aug. 26. UNCW made the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the second round.
 
The Mountaineers then return home for the home opener at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Aug. 31, against American.
 
Two road games are up next, at UCF on Friday, Sept. 7, and at Wright State on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
 
WVU is then back home for two games, against St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 15, and vs. former Big East foe Cincinnati on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
 
West Virginia is back on the road for one match, at Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 22, before it returns home for a three-match homestand. It begins on Tuesday, Sept. 25, vs. Radford, and continues on Saturday, Sept. 29, against Delaware. The homestand wraps up on Tuesday, Oct. 2, with a matchup against Binghamton.
 
MAC play commences with a road contest at Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Broncos, the reigning MAC regular-season champions, advanced to the third round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
 
The season-long three-game roadtrip continues at Maryland on Monday, Oct. 8, before it concludes at Akron on Saturday, Oct. 13. Both teams earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2017, with Akron advancing to the NCAA College Cup semifinals.
 
The Mountaineers' final homestand of the season begins on Saturday, Oct. 20, against SIU Edwardsville. The Backyard Brawl is up next, with a matchup against Pitt on Tuesday, Oct. 23.
 
Senior Night is set for Friday, Oct. 26, as West Virginia welcomes Bowling Green to Morgantown.
 
The regular-season concludes at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 3.
 
All nine regular-season home matches will kick off at 7 p.m. ET at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Information about 2018 Soccer Scarf Ticket Packages will be announced at a later date.
 
The 2018 season unofficially begins with three exhibition matches. The first is the annual Gold/Blue Intrasquad, on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. The preseason continues at home against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday, Aug. 19, at 2 p.m. A road exhibition match also is planned, with a date and opponent to be announced.
 
The complete 2018 West Virginia men' soccer schedule, with match times, can be found on WVUsports.com. All dates and times are subject to change, and fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUSports.com for additional updates.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.