DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis men's soccer program on Friday officially announced its schedule for the upcoming 2024 season. The Aggies will open the season with a road exhibition against Cal before starting the regular season with a match at Pacific in Stockton on Thursday, August 22.

UC Davis' regular season home opener against Utah Valley is set for Sunday, August 25. The Aggies' first match against Big West competition will be at home against Cal Poly at Aggie Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, October 2.

Other non-conference home matchups include Santa Clara (Aug. 31) and San Francisco (Sept. 15). While the Aggies only have three home contests during the non-conference portion, Dwayne Shaffer's program will have an action-packed road slate of games, highlighted by trips to Oregon State (Sept. 8) and Stanford (Sept. 18). Fresh off a trip to the College Cup, the Beavers mark one of seven different teams during the preseason in which the Aggies will face off against a team that finished in the top-100 of RPI last year.

Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer expressed his philosophy on scheduling tough opponents, saying he has always tried to put his student-athletes in a position to play against the best competition possible. "I've always had the motto that we will play anybody, anywhere, any day, any time and this schedule once again proves that," he said.

"We have an incredible amount of talent on the West Coast, and all the teams that we play yearly are outstanding," he added. "The opportunity to play at Stanford, at San Diego State, at Oregon State, among others, are just huge opportunities for our team to compete against quality opponents."

In addition to the Aggies' conference opener against Cal Poly, UC Davis will play eight more Big West games, with five at home and four on the road. The home games will be against UC Irvine (Oct. 5), Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 12), Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 23), and UC San Diego (Oct. 26), while the road games will include CSUN (Oct. 9), UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 16), UC Riverside (Oct. 19), and Causeway rivals Sacramento State (Nov. 2).

Coach Shaffer shared his expectations for the Big West Conference, saying he expects it to be a top-five or six conference in the country. "After talking to many of the coaches who are excited about their teams and seeing the returning as well as strong incoming talent, I'm once again excited for the opportunity to play against some of the best teams and players in the country," he said.

The Big West Championships are scheduled for November 6-16, while the NCAA Tournament begins with the first-round matches on November 21, concluding with the College Cup in Cary, North Carolina on December 13 and 16.

UC Davis is coming off a 2023 season in which they went 9-7-4 with an appearance in the Big West Championship Final.

Stay tuned to ucdavisaggies.com for upcoming ticketing information for the 2024 season.

2024 UC Davis Men's Soccer Schedule
Sunday, August 11 – @California (exhibition)
Thursday, Aug. 22 – @Pacific
Sunday, Aug. 25 – Utah Valley
Saturday, Aug. 31 – Santa Clara
Sunday, Sept. 8 – @Oregon State
Thursday, Sept. 12 – @St. Mary's
Sunday, Sept. 15 – San Francisco
Wednesday, Sept. 18 – @Stanford
Saturday, Sept. 21 – @San Diego State
Friday, Sept. 27– @San Jose State
Wednesday, Oct. 2 – Cal Poly*
Saturday, Oct. 5 – UC Irvine*
Wednesday, Oct. 9 – @CSUN*
Saturday, Oct. 12 – Cal State Fullerton*
Wednesday, Oct. 16 – @UC Santa Barbara*
Saturday, Oct. 19 – @UC Riverside*
Wednesday, Oct. 23 – Cal State Bakersfield*
Saturday, Oct. 26 – UC San Diego*
Saturday, Nov. 2 – @Sacramento State*

Postseason
Wednesday, Nov. 6, Big West Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 9, Big West Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 16, Big West Championship

NCAA Tournament
Thursday, Nov. 21, NCAA 1st Round         
Sunday, Nov. 24, NCAA 2nd Round
Friday/Saturday, Nov. 30/Dec. 1, NCAA 3rd Round
Friday/Sunday, December 6/7, NCAA Quarterfinals
Friday/Sunday, December 13/16, NCAA College Cup, Cary, N.C.

*Big West Conference Match