FARMVILLE, Va. – Coming off a Cinderella postseason run to the 2016 Big South Championship game, Longwood men's soccer head coach Jon Atkinson has assembled possibly the most difficult slate in the Lancers' 11-year Division I history for the 2017 season.

In a schedule that features four games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, including NCAA runner-up Wake Forest and NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist Virginia Tech, Longwood's 20-game gauntlet will see the Lancers tested against seven teams that finished 2016 among the top-100 in the RPI rankings.

"The goal is to win the Big South title and in order to do so we have to overcome some stiff competition in our conference," Atkinson, who's entering his 15th season as head of the Lancers, said. "As iron sharpens iron we aim to do so by playing a tough out-of-conference schedule that will stress our team and put them in situations that they will witness come tournament time."

Longwood will prepare for its slate with a pair of exhibition games and is scheduled to hit the field for the first time in 2017 in a Aug. 15 contest at Charlotte, where it will take on a 49er squad that finished 2016 ranked among the top-20 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lancers will host Wright State in its final preseason tune-up Aug. 19 at Lancer Field, hosting a Raiders squad that won 11 games a season ago and finished inside the top-100 of the RPI.

For the first time since its inception, the men's soccer program will play a regular season contest in Longwood's eighth annual Greatest Athletics March Ever [G.A.M.E.] event as the Lancers will host Commonwealth rival VMI at the Athletics Complex Friday, Aug. 25.

"To host The G.A.M.E. is a great honor for men's soccer," Atkinson said. "There is always a magical atmosphere surrounding this event in what has truly become a special Longwood tradition. I'm sure our players will be well up for it and excited to perform in front of their peers."

It will mark the fourth straight season that the Lancers and Keydets have opened the regular season on the soccer field and the first meeting at the Athletics Complex since Willy Miezan exploded onto the scene in his team debut in 2015 with a hat trick in a 4-1 victory.

The non-conference slate will see the Lancers tested early, and often, with four Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, including an Oct. 10 trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., for a showdown against NCAA runner-up Wake Forest. Longwood will also make a return trip to Blacksburg, Va., to take on Virginia Tech Sept. 26 a season after taking a Hokies squad that advanced to the 2016 NCAA quarterfinals to the wire in a 1-0 defeat.

"Our players want competition, they crave the challenge," Atkinson said. "To pit ourselves against high caliber opponents makes absolute sense and to play in different soccer arenas around the country will give our lads a truly memorable experience of what it's like to be student-athlete at the D-I level."

After playing host to The G.A.M.E. 8.0, Longwood will travel for its first road match of the season at Pittsburgh Sept. 1, as part of a stretch of four straight matches away from Farmville that will see the Lancers pitted in matchups against Colonial Athletic Association powerhouse UNC Wilmington (Sept. 8), along with NC State (Sept. 12) and Appalachian State (Sept. 16).

The Lancers welcome William & Mary (Sept. 19), George Mason (Sept. 23) and James Madison (Oct. 17) to Farmville to round out the home out-of-conference slate and prepare for the rigors of the Big South.

Atkinson's side opens its quest for the program's first-ever Big South Championship Sept. 30, by welcoming Winthrop to the Athletics Complex. Longwood will also play host to Presbyterian (Oct. 7), UNC Asheville (Oct. 21) and High Point (Nov. 1), while traveling to Liberty (Oct. 3), Campbell (Oct. 14), reigning Big South champion Radford (Oct. 25) and Gardner-Webb (Oct. 28).

The 2017 Big South Championship is set to begin Nov. 6 with the top-two seeds in the tournament receiving a first-round bye. For the second consecutive season, the tournament will be played at host sites of the higher-seeded team.

After earning a bid into the Big South Tournament on the final day of the 2016 regular season with a Dan Campos golden goal against Liberty lifted Longwood to a 4-3 win, the Lancers eliminated UNC Asheville and second-seeded High Point, both on the road, to secure a berth in a Big South Championship game. However, Big South Preseason Attacking Player of the Year Sivert Daehlie lifted Big South regular season champion Radford with the game-winning goal in the 85th minute.

"When you come to Longwood you come to compete and you come to win," Atkinson said. "Having a cup final appearance was nice last season and whet the appetite but being a bridesmaid doesn't quite cut it. It certainly was a step in the right direction for the program and one we aim to eclipse this time out. We remain humble as there are many good teams in our conference but I know our team has the capacity to compete with anyone."  

Longwood will be led by its attack heading into the season welcoming back its top goal scorer from 2015 in Miezan, who tore his ACL in the opening minutes of the 2016 exhibition schedule, as well as rising sophomore Max Poelker, who led the squad with seven goals. In addition, Campos returns to create in the midfield after leading the nation with 12 assists a season ago.

Seniors Marten Pajurnum and Tom Devitt will look to anchor the Lancers back line that will see rising sophomore Lance Da Silva take the goalkeeping reigns from All-Big South standout Carlos Canas.
 

2017 Men's Soccer Schedule
Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Aug. 15	at Charlotte **Exhibition Contest	Charlotte, N.C.	7 p.m.
Aug. 19	Wright State **Exhibition Contest	Farmville, Va.	3 p.m.
Aug. 25	VMI **The G.A.M.E. 8.0	Farmville, Va.	7 p.m.
Sept. 1	at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, Pa.	7 p.m.
Sept. 8	at UNC Wilmington	Wilmington, N.C.	7 p.m.
Sept. 12	at NC State	Raleigh, N.C.	7 p.m.
Sept. 16	at Appalachian State	Boone, N.C.	7 p.m.
Sept. 19	William & Mary	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Sept. 23	George Mason	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Sept. 26	at Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, Va.	7 p.m.
Sept. 30	Winthrop	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Oct. 3	at Liberty	Lynchburg, Va.	7 p.m.
Oct. 7	Presbyterian	Farmville, Va.	3 p.m.
Oct. 10	at Wake Forest	Winston-Salem, N.C.	7 p.m.
Oct. 14	at Campbell	Buies Creek, N.C.	7 p.m.
Oct. 17	James Madison	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Oct. 21	UNC Asheville	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Oct. 25	at Radford	Radford, Va.	7 p.m.
Oct. 28	at Gardner-Webb	Boiling Springs, N.C.	6 p.m.
Nov. 1	High Point	Farmville, Va.	6 p.m.
Nov. 6	Big South Quarterfinals	TBA	TBA
Nov. 10	Big South Semifinals	TBA	TBA
Nov. 12	Big South Championship	TBA	TBA

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