2026 Schedules

Started by Kuiper, March 07, 2026, 08:41:49 PM

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Kuiper

After suffering through a blizzard recently, many places in the Northeast are forecast to have highs in the 60s and even 70s this coming week.  So, that means its time for the first DIII men's soccer schedules to pop up on websites across the country and it's time to start a 2026 Schedules thread!  For some reason, the first groups to post their schedules tend to be from the upper Midwest.  Maybe they are trying to wish the spring into existence?

North Central

North Central is coming off an odd year where they only had 2 losses all season,  but they had 8 ties and missed out on the NCAA tourney.  This fall, they replace Coe, Trine, Dominican, Monmouth, and Knox with Beloit, Nebraska Wesleyan, and a tricky mid-September trip to Michigan to play at Calvin, Kalamazoo, and Albion before returning home to host CCIW foe Illinois Wesleyan and Edgewood.  That seems like a decent upgrade and an especially difficult stretch of games right before and after they start conference play.

North Park

North Park had a down year by their lofty standards, but they still made it to the CCIW championship game before succumbing to IWU 1-0.  This year, they start the season with what may be a murderer's row of historically strong programs: @ Chicago, Wash. U., Milwaukee School of Engineering, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pacific Lutheran (@ Wheaton), @ Kalamazoo, @ Trine before three straight home games against Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wheaton, and Wisconsin-Platteville.  Some of those teams had down years last season, but holy cow!  Those games should be fun to watch.

Kuiper

#1
St. Norbert

St. Norbert opened last season with a super tough schedule, playing @ Augsburg, @ Macalester, home to Calvin, home to Carthage, and home to UW Stevens Point.  They came out of those first 5 games 1-4.  This year is quite a bit different.  Opening at Saint Johns University won't be easy, but then they play @ Hamline, home to Wisconsin-Stout, @ Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and home to Lawrence.

Wisconsin-Stout

After going 1-15-4 in only its second year of existence Wisconsin-Stout probably can't find that many opponents willing to play them.  Nevertheless, removing Crown and Buena Vista -- two of the teams they tied last season -- isn't going to make it any easier to amass some wins.

Gregory Sager

Quote from: Kuiper on March 07, 2026, 08:41:49 PMNorth Park

North Park had a down year by their lofty standards, but they still made it to the CCIW championship game before succumbing to IWU 1-0.  This year, they start the season with what may be a murderer's row of historically strong programs: @ Chicago, Wash. U., Milwaukee School of Engineering, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pacific Lutheran (@ Wheaton), @ Kalamazoo, @ Trine before three straight home games against Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wheaton, and Wisconsin-Platteville.  Some of those teams had down years last season, but holy cow!  Those games should be fun to watch.

And fun to call, too. ;)
"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." ― G.K. Chesterton

Kuiper

#3
Millsaps

They are playing some school named "United States Sports University" for the second year in a row. Apparently, it's been around since 1972, but for some reason it only started offering intercollegiate athletic teams in 2024. I guess they offer majors in sports-related areas but it seems odd that someone wouldn't have thought earlier that actually having sports teams would be mission-related, right?  In any event, the really crazy thing is that Millsaps is playing AT Southwestern and AT Trinity for a second year in a row.  Many conferences rotate home-and-away, but I guess not in the SAA.  That's kind of rough.  At least they do it in one weekend and they play LeTourneau at home this year rather than traveling to Texas again.  They also host Centenary instead of traveling to East Texas Baptist.

Earlham

After going 3-11-3 last season, Earlham needs to schedule a few more wins.  They did add two NCCAA teams:  Kuyper (which was on the schedules last season, but Kuyper cancelled its entire season after the first two games for what looks like lack of players since they only had 11 in each of their first two games) and Ohio Christian (NCCAA).  They also, however, added Albion, which had a strong 12-3-2 season, and dropped Muskingum, which was one of their wins.