TEMPE, Ariz. -- First-year head coach, Graham Winkworth, and the Arizona State soccer program announced the team's 2017 conference slate on Tuesday, which features five home matches, as well as three scheduled appearances on the Pac-12 family of Networks.
"Playing a tough non-conference schedule is crucial if we are going to be able to compete in this league," Winkworth said. "We play a number of teams with post season experience and so this is great for us to see what level we are competing at early."
The Sun Devils will begin 2017 Conference play on Friday, Sept. 22, with a home match against Oregon State. First kick for the conference opener is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Following the short home-stand, ASU will hit the road for a pair of games in the Bay Area, starting with a Thursday night contest against California on Sept. 28, followed by a meeting with Stanford on Oct. 1.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will return to Tempe to host two perennial powerhouse teams. The marquee weekend will begin Thursday, Oct. 5, when ASU will play host to UCLA, who finished last season as the No. 13 team in the final NSCAA rankings. The Sun Devils will then face USC, last season's NCAA Champion, on Sunday, Oct. 8.
"When you play in the best league in the country, it is very important that you take points from your home matches," Winkworth said of the early Oct. challenge. "Going on the road anywhere in the league is tough, so that weekend will have added significance."
Following the challenging home weekend, the Sun Devils will hit the road for three consecutive matches beginning with an Oct. 13, match against Oregon. The road stand will conclude the following weekend with matches against Colorado (Oct. 26) and Utah (Oct. 22).
ASU will wrap up their regular season home schedule with matches against Washington State on Oct. 26, and Washington on Oct. 29. The Sun Devils' regular season will end with a road trip to Tucson to face Arizona with the first Territorial Cup point on the line on Nov. 3.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
The Sun Devils will play eight of their 10 non-conference matches in the state of Arizona, including six matches at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The loaded schedule includes three teams that participated in the NCAA tournament in 2016, and four teams who competed in their respective Conference Championship Final a season ago.
ASU, who finished the 2016 season with a 6-11-2 record last season, will begin the 2017 campaign on Aug. 12 with an exhibition match at CSUN before hosting Ohio State on Aug. 18 (4:30 p.m.) for their first official match of the season. The Buckeyes recorded an impressive 11-7-3 record in 2016, en rout to hosting a NCAA first round matchup against Dayton. Following the Friday test, the Sun Devils will cap their home opening weekend with a match against the Beijing University All Star team on Sunday, Aug. 20 (11 a.m.).
The Sun Devils will hit the road again on Aug. 25, to take on San Diego State. The Aztecs put together their sixth-straight 10-win season in 2016, en rout to competing in the Mountain West Conference Championship match. SDSU just missed qualifying for the NCAA tournament, falling to UNLV in PK's following a 3-3 draw.
Sun Devil soccer will return to Tempe a week later to host the 2017 Sun Devil Classic which will feature four games in three days. The event will kick off Friday night with a pair of matches starting with Arizona and UCF. The night will conclude with Arizona State against yet another team who played for a conference title a year ago in Boston University.
The Sun Devils will be back on the pitch on Sunday Sept. 3 when ASU will take on UCF to close out the Classic at 2 p.m.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will travel to Tucson to compete in the U of A Tournament where the team will face a tough slate of games starting with a matchup against Texas Tech, a team who has earned an NCAA berth for five consecutive seasons entering the 2017 season. The Sun Devils will cap the weekend with yet another tough matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Sept. 10.
ASU will close the 2017 non-conference slate with a pair of home games the weekend of Sept. 15, when will welcome Hawaii and Weber State, before opening Pac-12 play on Friday Sept. 22.
"Playing a tough non-conference schedule is crucial if we are going to be able to compete in this league," Winkworth said. "We play a number of teams with post season experience and so this is great for us to see what level we are competing at early."
The Sun Devils will begin 2017 Conference play on Friday, Sept. 22, with a home match against Oregon State. First kick for the conference opener is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Following the short home-stand, ASU will hit the road for a pair of games in the Bay Area, starting with a Thursday night contest against California on Sept. 28, followed by a meeting with Stanford on Oct. 1.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will return to Tempe to host two perennial powerhouse teams. The marquee weekend will begin Thursday, Oct. 5, when ASU will play host to UCLA, who finished last season as the No. 13 team in the final NSCAA rankings. The Sun Devils will then face USC, last season's NCAA Champion, on Sunday, Oct. 8.
"When you play in the best league in the country, it is very important that you take points from your home matches," Winkworth said of the early Oct. challenge. "Going on the road anywhere in the league is tough, so that weekend will have added significance."
Following the challenging home weekend, the Sun Devils will hit the road for three consecutive matches beginning with an Oct. 13, match against Oregon. The road stand will conclude the following weekend with matches against Colorado (Oct. 26) and Utah (Oct. 22).
ASU will wrap up their regular season home schedule with matches against Washington State on Oct. 26, and Washington on Oct. 29. The Sun Devils' regular season will end with a road trip to Tucson to face Arizona with the first Territorial Cup point on the line on Nov. 3.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
The Sun Devils will play eight of their 10 non-conference matches in the state of Arizona, including six matches at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. The loaded schedule includes three teams that participated in the NCAA tournament in 2016, and four teams who competed in their respective Conference Championship Final a season ago.
ASU, who finished the 2016 season with a 6-11-2 record last season, will begin the 2017 campaign on Aug. 12 with an exhibition match at CSUN before hosting Ohio State on Aug. 18 (4:30 p.m.) for their first official match of the season. The Buckeyes recorded an impressive 11-7-3 record in 2016, en rout to hosting a NCAA first round matchup against Dayton. Following the Friday test, the Sun Devils will cap their home opening weekend with a match against the Beijing University All Star team on Sunday, Aug. 20 (11 a.m.).
The Sun Devils will hit the road again on Aug. 25, to take on San Diego State. The Aztecs put together their sixth-straight 10-win season in 2016, en rout to competing in the Mountain West Conference Championship match. SDSU just missed qualifying for the NCAA tournament, falling to UNLV in PK's following a 3-3 draw.
Sun Devil soccer will return to Tempe a week later to host the 2017 Sun Devil Classic which will feature four games in three days. The event will kick off Friday night with a pair of matches starting with Arizona and UCF. The night will conclude with Arizona State against yet another team who played for a conference title a year ago in Boston University.
The Sun Devils will be back on the pitch on Sunday Sept. 3 when ASU will take on UCF to close out the Classic at 2 p.m.
The following weekend, the Sun Devils will travel to Tucson to compete in the U of A Tournament where the team will face a tough slate of games starting with a matchup against Texas Tech, a team who has earned an NCAA berth for five consecutive seasons entering the 2017 season. The Sun Devils will cap the weekend with yet another tough matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Sept. 10.
ASU will close the 2017 non-conference slate with a pair of home games the weekend of Sept. 15, when will welcome Hawaii and Weber State, before opening Pac-12 play on Friday Sept. 22.