RICHMOND, Va. – VCU men's soccer head coach Dave Giffard announced a challenging 2022 schedule Tuesday afternoon. The 17 regular season matches and three exhibitions feature nine opponents that played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
 
The Rams open the season with a pair of road matches against teams with a national championship caliber. On Thursday, Aug. 25, VCU faces Marshall, the 2020 NCAA Division I champion and the 14-seed in last season's NCAA tourney. The Rams then play Akron, the 2010 champions who earned an at-large bid to the 2021 tournament, on Monday, Aug. 29.
 
VCU's road swing continues Saturday, Sept. 3 with a match at New Hampshire, who advanced to the round of 16 during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Rams play their first home match of 2022 on Saturday, Sept. 10, hosting UNC Greensboro, the 2021 SoCon regular season champs, at Sports Backers Stadium before a road match at Campbell, the 2021 Big South champion, on Wednesday, Sept. 14.
 
The Black and Gold's first Atlantic 10 match of the season is a Sept. 17 contest at home against Massachusetts, followed by a non-conference home match against Old Dominion on Sept. 20. VCU plays its first A-10 road match at Saint Louis, the reigning conference champion who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, on Sept. 24.
 
VCU's non-conference slate is rounded out by a home match against FIU, the 13-seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, on Sept. 27, and road matches at North Carolina, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney, on Oct. 11 and at UNCW on Oct. 18.
 
The A-10 schedule will be completed with home matches against Loyola Chicago (Oct. 5) and George Mason (Oct. 22), and road contests at Davidson (Oct. 8), Dayton (Oct. 15), and St. Bonaventure (Oct. 29).
 
The A-10 Championship quarterfinals are set to take place on Nov. 4 or 5, with the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and final on Sunday, Nov. 13. The 2022 NCAA Tournament kicks off on Nov. 17.
 
The Rams play a trio of exhibition matches at home in August, facing NCAA Tournament participants Maryland (Aug. 12) and Missouri State (Aug. 19), as well as James Madison (Aug. 13), an 11-win team in 2021.
 
VCU finished 2021 with a 9-7-2 record, including three wins over ranked teams. The Rams received votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for 11 straight weeks, and reached as high as No. 12 in the poll earlier in the season.
 
Final USC poll rankings for 2022 opponents:
Saint Louis - 7
New Hampshire - 9
Marshall - 15
FIU - 18
Missouri State - 22
Maryland - 23
North Carolina - RV
Campbell - RV
Akron - RV
 
To view the full 2022 schedule, click here.