Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra Men's Soccer Head Coach Richard Nuttall has once again assembled an elite slate of opponents for the Pride, with Hofstra releasing its Fall 2017 schedule on Wednesday. Coming off its second consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular-season championship and a 9-8-1 record, the Pride will once again take on some of the nation's best.
 
"I am very excited about the level of competition on our schedule," said Nuttall. "Strength of schedule is important, and we look forward to the challenge."
 
Hofstra opens the season with four straight road games, playing the season opener on Aug. 25 at Penn State. The Pride then heads to Maryland on Aug. 28. The Terrapins entered the 2016 NCAA Tournament as the top seed, finishing fourth in the RPI. When Hofstra and Maryland met last season, the Terps came into the game ranked No. 1, marking the first time in program history the Pride had taken on the nation's top team. Maryland came away with a narrow 2-1 win.
 
Hofstra then takes on Virginia on Aug. 28, the No. 12 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and 19th in the RPI. The Pride also squared off with the Cavaliers last season, with Virginia escaping with a 1-0 win on a late goal.
 
Hofstra then plays two games against local rivals, concluding its season-opening road trip at St. John's on Sept. 5 before opening the home schedule on Sept. 9 against Stony Brook. The Seawolves finished the 2016 season 9-6-3, ranking 58th in the RPI. The Pride took a 3-1 season-opening victory against Stony Brook last season.
 
Hofstra then travels to another top-60 RPI opponent, heading to Connecticut on Sept. 12 to take on the Huskies, who finished 11-7-1 last season.
 
Colonial Athletic Association play begins on Sept. 16 when Elon makes the trip to Hempstead. The Pride then hosts non-conference foe Columbia on Sept. 19. The Lions also had a strong 2016 season, ranking 50th in the RPI and going 13-3-1.
 
Hofstra travels to Charleston on Sept. 23 for a conference clash with the Cougars before returning to Hofstra Soccer Stadium to host Northeastern on Sept. 27. The Pride treks to James Madison on Sept. 30, then returns home to face Ivy League foe Dartmouth on Oct. 3.
 
Defending CAA Tournament champion Delaware returns to Hofstra Soccer Stadium on Oct. 7. The Pride then plays a pair of conference road games, heading to Drexel on Oct. 11 and William & Mary on Oct. 14. Hofstra closes CAA play at home against UNCW on Oct. 21.
 
The Pride will matchup with a pair of non-conference foes to close the season, heading to Binghamton on Oct. 25 before honoring the senior class in the finale against Brown at home on Oct. 31.
 
The CAA quarterfinals will take place on Nov. 4, with the regular-season champion hosting the semifinals and championship on Nov. 10 and 12, respectively.