FAIRFAX, Va. – A plethora of home games and several new opponents highlight the 2016 George Mason men's soccer schedule.

The Patriots will play eight games at George Mason Stadium while the non-conference portion of the schedule will include home and road tests against Gonzaga, West Virginia and Cornell.

“We are excited and looking forward to the challenge of a very strong and high RPI-based non-conference schedule,” said Mason head coach Greg Andrulis, entering his 12th year at the helm. “We have a quality West Coast Conference team in Gonzaga, as well as Ivy League member Cornell, as part of the D.C. Capitol Cup. In addition, we are starting new series with very strong West Virginia, Siena and ETSU programs. Overall this schedule, with its variety of styles and conference affiliations, should go a long way in preparing us as we pursue excellence in the Atlantic 10 Conference.”

The Patriots won't veer far to open the 2016 season, heading across the Potomac River to play American on Aug. 26 in Washington, D.C. The Eagles won more games last year than any of Mason's 2016 opponents – conference or non-conference. American amassed a 14-5-3 record, jumped into the national rankings, reached the championship game of the Patriot League Tournament and finished with an RPI of 41.

They'll cap off August by staying on the road to play East Tennessee State (ETSU) on Aug. 31 in Johnson City, Tenn. This will be the first meeting between the teams. The Bucs reached the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament in 2015.

The Patriots return to Fairfax for their home opener against Longwood on Sept. 3. They then welcome in Cornell and Gonzaga for the annual D.C. Capitol Cup. Mason will host Cornell, a consistent power in the Ivy League, on Sept. 9. The teams tied their only previous contest – back in 1997. Two days later, on Sept. 11, the Patriots cap off the three-game homestand against West Coast Conference foe Gonzaga. This will mark the first meeting between the teams.  

On Sept. 17, Mason heads to West Virginia as the teams renew the series for the first time since 1999. The Patriots hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Mountaineers, who are an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for men's soccer.

They'll travel to High Point (N.C.) on Sept. 21 to play the Panthers for the second straight year. Mason defeated High Point 1-0 in double overtime last year in Fairfax in the teams' first meeting. Last year, the Panthers advanced all the way to the championship game of the Big South Conference Tournament before falling to Winthrop in penalty kicks.

The non-conference slate comes to a close on Sept. 24 at George Mason Stadium with a visit from Siena, the last of three first-time opponents for the Patriots.

As the month of October begins so will the Atlantic 10 Conference season. Mason opens league play on the road at VCU on Oct. 1 in Richmond, Va. The Patriots return home the next weekend to host Saint Joseph's on Oct. 8. They'll then welcome in the defending Atlantic 10 regular-season champ George Washington in the latest chapter of the Revolutionary Rivalry on Oct. 12 at George Mason Stadium.

Mason hits the road for two straight games, playing at Saint Louis on Oct. 15 and heading to Pittsburgh to play Duquesne on Oct. 19. The Patriots then have just three games in the last three weeks. They'll host La Salle on Oct. 22, head to Rhode Island on Oct. 29 and close out the regular season at home against Davidson for Senior Day on Nov. 5.

The Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship then begins on Nov. 10 in Davidson, N.C., and runs through Nov. 13. The winner of the eight-team tournament receives the A-10's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

2016 GEORGE MASON MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE