UConn men’s soccer releases 2021 schedule

The UConn men’s soccer team finally released its fall 2021 schedule Thursday, and we’re 22 days from soccer being back in Storrs. After a shortened (and unsuccessful) spring season, the highlight of the schedule is the full slate of Big East games in UConn’s second season back in the conference. You can find the full schedule here.

Preseason will start in five days on Sunday, Aug. 15, with a road tilt against New Hampshire. Their pre-season tour of the America East continues on Saturday, with a home match against Vermont.

The young Huskies can build momentum to start the season thanks to some home cooking. Their first four non-conference games will be at the shiny new Joseph J. Morrone Stadium, starting with Friday, Aug. 27 vs. Bryant. Next up on Sept. 3 is regional rival Rhode Island, followed by Sept. 11 vs. Monmouth and a Sept. 14 interstate showdown vs. Yale.

On Sept. 18, UConn enters the Big East fray with a trek out to Indianapolis to take on Butler. Sandwiched between the conference calendar is a Sept. 21 match against Dartmouth and an Oct. 26 tilt vs. Rutgers of the Big 10.

Four home games to start a season is never a bad thing. The Huskies also spend the first three weeks of October in Storrs, a nice break from the home/away rotation that accompanies most schedules. Ending the season against national powerhouse Georgetown is brutal though, and the mid-season out of conference matchups are far from cakewalks.

Fresh off Final Four appearances from the spring, Georgetown and Seton Hall check in at No. 5 and No. 10 in the NCAA preseason coaches’ poll released on Wednesday. No. 19 Marquette stormed through its spring conference with a 5-1-1 record. Counting New Hampshire, UConn faces four teams that made the NCAA tournament last spring. But considering the Huskies went 0-6-1 with two goals for and 16 goals against in the spring, it doesn’t matter who they play, they just have to improve.