WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Under the tutelage of first-year head coach Thomas Mattera, the University of New Haven men's soccer team will return to the field in late August to kick off a 15-game 2023 schedule against in-state rival Bridgeport, marking the sixth-straight season the two squads will square off to start the year. Among the full 15-game slate are six games that will take place on the friendly home turf of Kathy Zolad Stadium.
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The 2023 campaign will kick off with the lone game in the month of August as New Haven and Bridgeport will battle on the final day of the month with this year's contest taking place at Knight's Field on the banks of the Long Island Sound. Opening kickoff in the season opener is slated for 7:00 p.m. Following a 2-1 decision in favor of Bridgeport last season, the Chargers look to get back to .500 in the current season-opening series, while Bridgeport holds an 18-14 advantage all-time in the series.
Following the season-opener, the Chargers will remain on the road for their next two games, traveling to Dominican (September 5) and Alliance (September 9) before making their debut at home and begin their Northeast-10 Conference schedule with a visit from the Saint Anselm Hawks on Saturday, September 16. The home and NE10 opener against the Hawks will come under the lights with a 7:00 p.m. opening kickoff slated at Zolad Stadium.
The stop at home will be short lived as the Chargers' road-warrior mentality will return just three days later when they make the shortest trip of the season to take on crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University in the annual Elm City battle. The match-up against Southern Connecticut, scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, will be the first between the two squads on the newly re-turfed Jess Dow Field.
A second-straight game on the road will take the Blue and Gold north on Interstate-91 as they head to Springfield to take on American International on Friday, September 22. Following the match-up with AIC, the Chargers will return home for back-to-back home games, hosting Assumption on Tuesday, September 26 and welcoming Franklin Pierce to West Haven on Saturday, September 30.
Just like the month of September, the month of October will also begin on the road for the Chargers as they begin the final month of the regular season in the capital of the Empire State, taking on the Saint Rose Golden Knights at Plumeri Sports Complex in Albany on Wednesday, October 4. A second-straight road game will add another state to the list of visits New Haven will make, this time heading to New Hampshire to take on the Southern New Hampshire Penmen on Saturday, October 7.
After returning from New Hampshire, the Chargers will step away from Northeast-10 play to welcome the Staten Island Dolphins to Kathy Zolad Stadium with that battle set for Wednesday, October 11. The second of back-to-back home games will follow as the Chargers host their final NE10 regular season game of the year against Adelphi on Tuesday, October 17, again heading under the lights for a 7:00 p.m. opening kickoff.
The final three games of the regular season will alternate away and home, beginning with a visit to Waltham, Mass. to take on Bentley on Saturday, October 21. The final home game of the season will also serve as the final non-conference test of the year as Mercy will make the trip to West Haven on Tuesday, October 24. The regular season finale will come on the ensuing weekend as the Chargers head to Colchester, Vt. for a date with the Saint Michael's Purple Knights on Saturday, October 28.
The top eight teams in the conference standings following the regular season will qualify for the NE10 Championship, which opens with a quarterfinal match-up on November 4 at the home sites of the four highest seeds. The semifinal and championship matches will also take place at home sites on November 9 and 12, respectively.
The NCAA Division II Championship will begin with First and Second Round games scheduled to take place November 16-19 at 16 campus sites determined by the selection committee. The third and quarterfinal rounds will also take place at four campus sites with action taking place between November 30 – December 2. The season will culminate with the NCAA Semifinals and Championship being contested December 7-9 at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge, Tenn.
All home matches and select road matches will be broadcast live, for free, on the Charger Sports Network, part of NE10Now.tv. Additionally, live stats will be provided for all matches with links available at NewHavenChargers.com.
