Click here to view the complete 2016 men's soccer schedule

SAN FRANCISCO – University of San Francisco men's soccer head coach Eddie Soto has announced his squad's 2016 slate of matches. The Dons' schedule features a total of 19 competitions, 17 of which are official regular season contests with two preseason exhibitions. USF will play nine matches at Negoesco Stadium this season after only having six home contests a year ago.
 
The Dons will face five NCAA Tournament teams from 2015 and five opponents who finished in the top-50 of the RPI last year.  
 
"We are very excited with the schedule we have put together," said Soto, who will be entering his third year on the Hilltop this fall. "Once again we will be challenging our guys by playing five opponents that took part in the NCAA tournament. We expect these games to be an excellent opportunity for our boys to continue to push themselves with the country's best. This strength of schedule will prepare us for what is always a brutal WCC season. We will always try to play the best nonconference schedule in hopes an at-large bid is possible if it came to it."
 
The Dons open their season with exhibitions against Cal State East Bay at home on Aug. 16 and at Cal on Aug. 20.
 
They will kickoff the regular season on the road, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska for contests at Nebraska Omaha on Aug. 26 and at Creighton on Aug. 29. The Creighton Bluejays were a No. 12 overall seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite 8, while the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks finished 9-6-3 in 2015 and were the Summit League runners up.
 
USF will travel to CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 1, returning the favor after the Roadrunners came to Negoesco Stadium last year.
 
The Dons will enjoy their first home match when they host UC Davis on Sept. 4.  
 
USF will then hit the road again for a swing through the Sunshine State when they face Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 8 and South Florida on Sept. 10. The South Florida Bulls were the No. 14 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament last year, but lost in their first match. Meanwhile, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles missed out on the tournament, but remained in the top-25 rankings for much of last season, finishing 7-4-3 overall and tying for the Atlantic Sun regular season championship. USF last played FGCU in 2014, winning 1-0 at Negoesco Stadium.
 
A seven-match homestand will await USF when they return from Florida, starting with a matchup against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 16, followed by a meeting with Air Force on Sept. 18. Fullerton lost to Santa Clara in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, while the Dons last met Air Force in 2013, handing the Falcons a 2-0 loss at Negoesco Stadium.
 
A big weekend awaits the Dons when they host 2015 national champion Stanford on Sept. 23, followed by UC Riverside on Sept. 25. The Stanford Cardinal shutout Clemson 4-0 in last year's title game, handing USF a 3-1 loss in Palo Alto during the regular season along the way.
 
West Coast Conference play will again open up against Santa Clara with the Dons hosting the Broncos on Oct. 9. Santa Clara lost to Stanford in the second round of the tournament a year ago.
 
WCC contests against Portland on Oct. 14 and Gonzaga on Oct. 16 will follow for USF.
 
The Dons will play their first conference road contests at Saint Mary's on Oct. 28 and at Pacific on Oct. 30 before returning to Negoesco Stadium for their final WCC home match when they host 2015 co-champion San Diego on Nov. 5.
 
The regular season will wrap up on the road at Loyola Marymount on Nov. 12. The Lions defeated the Dons in the final day of the regular season last year, eliminating USF from postseason consideration.
 
"Our goal here is to not just to win the WCC, but to eventually win an NCAA championship," said Soto. "In order for us to achieve this we have to not only play the best teams, but also win. Scheduling also plays a huge role in recruiting. When you're going after a blue chipper they want the opportunity to participate in a schedule like ours. Every year it will be the same. I don't see any other way to help prepare my group for conference play and achieve the goals of the program without it."
 
Soto's young squad endured a challenging nonconference slate in 2015, but rebounded to make a run at the conference's automatic bid with a strong WCC campaign. The Dons finished 6-11-1 overall, but their 4-2-1 mark in conference play – which was good for fourth place – had them in contention for a postseason berth up until the final match of the regular season.