Men's soccer announces 2024 schedule

DAVIS, California. The UC Davis men's soccer program officially announced its schedule for the upcoming 2024 season on Friday. The Aggies will open the season with an exhibition game at Cal before opening the regular season with a matchup at Pacific in Stockton on Thursday, Aug. 22.

UC Davis' regular-season home opener against Utah Valley is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25. The Aggies' first game against Big West competition is at home against Cal Poly at Aggie Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Other non-conference home games include Santa Clara (Aug. 31) and San Francisco (Sept. 15). While the Aggies only have three home games during the non-conference portion, Dwayne Shaffer's schedule will feature an action-packed road slate, highlighted by trips to Oregon State (Sept. 8) and Stanford (Sept. 18). The Beavers, fresh off a trip to the College Cup, are one of seven different teams during the preseason in which the Aggies will face a team that finished in the RPI top 100 last year.

Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer articulated his philosophy on scheduling tough opponents, saying he has always tried to put his student-athletes in a position to play against the best competition possible. “I've always had the motto that we're going to play anyone, anywhere, any day, any time, and this schedule proves that once again,” he said.

“We have an incredible amount of talent on the West Coast and all the teams we play every year are excellent,” he added. “The opportunity to play at Stanford, San Diego State and Oregon State, among others, are tremendous opportunities for our team to compete against quality opponents.”

In addition to the Aggies' conference opener against Cal Poly, UC Davis is scheduled to play eight more Big West games, five at home and four away. The home games are against UC Irvine (Oct. 5), Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 12), Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 23) and UC San Diego (Oct. 26), while the road games include CSUN (Oct. 9), UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 16), UC Riverside (Oct. 19) and Causeway rival Sacramento State (Nov. 2).

Coach Shaffer shared his expectations for the Big West Conference, saying he expects it to be a top five or six conference in the country. “After speaking with many coaches who are excited about their teams and seeing the returning and strong upcoming talent, I am once again excited about the opportunity to play against some of the best teams and players in the country,” he said . said.

The Big West Championships are scheduled for Nov. 6-16, while the NCAA Tournament begins with first-round games on Nov. 21 and concludes with the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina on Dec. 13-16.

UC Davis is coming off a 2023 season that saw them go 9-7-4 and appear in the Big West Championship Final.

Stay tuned to ucdavisaggies.com for upcoming ticket information for the 2024 season.

UC Davis Men's Soccer Schedule 2024

Sunday August 11 @California (exhibition)
Thursday, August 22 @Pacific
Sunday August 25 Utah Valley
Saturday, August 31, Santa Clara

Sunday, September 8 @Oregon State
Thursday September 12 @St. Marias
Sunday September 15th San Francisco

Wednesday September 18 @Stanford
Saturday, September 21 @San Diego State
Friday September 27 @San Jose State
Wednesday Oct 2 Cal Poly*
Saturday October 5 UC Irvine*

Wednesday, October 4 @CSUN*
Saturday, October 11 Cal State Fullerton*

Wednesday October 18 @UC Santa Barbara*
Saturday Oct 21 @UC Riverside*
Wednesday, Oct. 25 Cal State Bakersfield*
Saturday November 3 UC San Diego*

Saturday, November 2 @Sacramento State*

Post season

Wednesday, November 6, Big West Quarterfinals
Saturday, November 9, Big West Semifinals
Saturday, November 16, Big West Championship

NCAA Tournament

Thursday, November 21, NCAA 1st Round
Sunday, November 24, NCAA 2nd Round
Friday/Saturday, November 30/December 1, NCAA 3rd Round
Friday/Sunday December 6/7, NCAA Quarterfinals
Friday/Sunday, December 13/16, NCAA College Cup, Cary, NC

*Big West Conference game