RICHMOND, Va. – Headlined by eight 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament qualifiers and nine matches scheduled for Sports Backers Stadium, VCU Men's Soccer and head coach Dave Giffard announced the 2023 schedule with the season opener slated for Aug. 24.
 
VCU begins the season at home with a visit from New Hampshire and they'll begin Atlantic 10 play on Sept. 16 when they host the defending A-10 Men's Soccer Tournament and Regular Season champions Saint Louis.
 
"Our young and driven group has had a tremendous last several months of growth and I know they are excited to tackle one of the top 5-10 schedules in the country again," said Giffard. "This time around though, not as 11 new starters, but as a talented and hungry young group who know what the top of the college game looks like and is hungry to compete to chase trophies."
 
Last season the Rams finished 3-8-6 (3-1-4 A-10) while playing the fifth toughest schedule in the country, grinding out a third-place finish in the A-10 which boasted seven teams in the RPI top 75.
 
"Every year we play the best schedule that we can during non-conference because the player's development demands that they be challenged night in and night out in ways that force us to grow," added Giffard. "The tough schedule also gives our team multiple pathways into the NCAA Tournament and the best chance at a higher seed and as many home games as possible in post-season play."
 
VCU begins the season with three exhibition matches against a pair of 2022 NCAA tournament qualifiers and two power five programs. The season begins on Aug. 11 when the Rams travel to College, Park, Md. to face Maryland (2022 NCAA qualifier) followed up by the Rams' first time taking the pitch at Sports Backer when they welcome the 2022 Mid-American Conference Regular Season champion Akron Zips (2022 NCAA qualifier) on Aug. 14.
 
The Rams then wrap up the exhibition season with a trip to Raleigh, N.C. and a matchup with the Atlantic Coast Conference's NC State on Aug. 18.
 
On Aug. 24 the regular season kicks off at Sports Backers when VCU faces the 2022 America East Conference tournament champions New Hampshire Wildcats (2022 NCAA qualifier) before wrapping up the month of August with a trip to Miami, Fla. On Aug. 28 to take on FIU.
 
September opens up with a trip to Washington, D.C. and a visit to American on Sept. 1. VCU then returns home as they host the 2018 National Champions North Carolina Tar Heels (2022 NCAA qualifier) on Sept. 4.
 
Quickly the Rams hit the road again when they visit Missouri State on Sept. 9, the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference champions and their fifth opponent of the season thus far that qualified for the 2022 NCAA tournament.
 
Atlantic 10 play begins on Sept. 16 when the Rams return to Sports Backers for a meeting against the reigning A-10 champions when Saint Louis (2022 NCAA qualifier) visits Richmond. Back-to-back road trips make up the next two matches for VCU with the Rams making a quick swing to Norfolk, Va. to face Old Dominion on Sept. 19 before heading to Amherst, Mass. for a meeting against UMass on Sept. 23 and the first A-10 road test.
 
Another 2022 NCAA qualifier comes to Sports Backers, the fourth of the season, when the 2020 National Champion Marshall Thundering Herd return last season's favor and visit Richmond on Sept. 27.
 
Three-straight A-10 matchups begin for the Rams on Sept. 30 with a visit to Chicago, Ill. to take on Loyola Chicago. VCU then returns home for back-to-back home A-10 matchups against Dayton (Oct. 4) and Davidson (Oct. 7). And on Oct. 10 the Rams wrap up a three-match home stand with a visit from Campbell.
 
VCU hits the road for a three-match stretch starting with a visit to Rhode Island on Oct. 14 and a trip to George Mason on Oct. 21 for the final two A-10 regular season road matches of the season. The Rams then hit the road on Oct. 25 for one final regular season matchup when they visit UNC Greensboro who won the 2022 Southern Conference and qualified for the 2022 NCAA tournament.
 
The class of 2024 will be honored in the final regular season home game of the season when on Oct. 28 St. Bonaventure visits Sports Backers for one final A-10 conference matchup of the season ahead of the A-10 tournament.
 
Campus sites will host the A-10 tournament, with the first round set to get going on Nov. 5 and the final scheduled for Nov. 13.
 
"Each group we have had here in the last 13 years has been a little bit different in its makeup and this one is about their mentality," said Giffard. "This group has such a tremendous mentality for growth and the past 9-10 months have seen a ton of improvements from a team that played more freshmen at one time than we have played total in the last six-seven years combined.
 
"The guys took it in stride and by the end of the season were a very tough team to play against, but the growth since January has seen us take an enormous step up and although the margins will be tight, I expect them to compete  very well at the top of the college game."