ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Head Coach Luca Mellor has released the 2024 schedule for Eastern University Men's Soccer. Beginning with a home test against Ithaca College on August 31, the Eagles are slated to play ten regular-season games on Olson Field.

The Eagles can expect a tough match against the Bombers in their opener. Ithaca reached the Liberty League finals in 2023. The Eagles will take on another team with post-season credentials when they travel to Neumann on Sept. 4. The Knights won the Atlantic East in 2023 and took the No. 2 University of Mary Washington Eagles to overtime in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Eagles will then play five of six games at home over a three-week stretch. Their only road test in that string is a 7:30 match at Ursinus College on Sept. 17. Before that contest, they will host Rutgers-Newark and Gordon College. After the Ursinus game, they will host Centenary, Cairn, and Delaware Valley before having a full week to prepare for the MAC Commonwealth schedule. 

The MAC Commonwealth season begins at Messiah. The Eagles will take on the Falcons on Shoemaker Field for a 6:00 pm match. Though it will be just the second time the Eagles have played at Messiah since 2000, the Eagles won 1-0 in 2000 and emerged with a 4-3 win in 1998. Messiah has won 60 consecutive MAC Commonwealth matches and has won the last five league titles. The Falcons reached the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. 

The Eagles will welcome the Swarthmore College Garnet to campus for a midweek game before hosting York for a 4:00 pm  game on Homecoming Weekend. Eastern's final non-league test of 2024 will be at Arcadia on Oct. 16. It will be the first match-up between the two former conference rivals since 2016. Eastern owns a 15-13-1 edge in the series between the two MAC programs that both switched sides of the Conference before the 2021 season. 

The final stretch includes home games against Hood and Albright and road tests at Stevenson, Alvernia, and Widener. The Widner match on Nov. 2 will wrap up the regular season. 

The MAC Commonwealth Tournament will be the following week, but dates are still to be announced.