GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 14-ranked UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team is gearing up to host a pair of out-of-state opponents this week to open the 2026 slate, beginning with the VCU Rams on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. before the San Francisco Dons make the cross-country journey for another 7:00 p.m. tilt on Sunday, Aug. 23. 

Head Coach Chris Rich's squad is expected to build on a strong 2025 campaign that saw the Spartans post a 12-5-6 record on the way to reaching the NCAA Third Round, falling to national runner-up NC State on penalties. Voted 11^th in the preseason poll by TopDrawerSoccer, 14^th by United Soccer Coaches, and 18^th by College Soccer News, UNCG faces one of the nation's best schedules once again after having faced the ninth-toughest slate in the country last year. 
 

Game 1: No. 14 UNC Greensboro (0-0-0, SoCon) vs. VCU (0-0-0, Atlantic 10)
Date & Time	Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Location	Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
Tickets	Free Admission
Coverage	Live Stats: Live Stats Broadcast: ESPN+
Promotions	Food Truck in attendance, Camper Reunion, Postgame Autographs
Social Media	Follow the UNC Greensboro men's soccer team on Instagram (@uncgsoccer), Twitter (@UNCGsoccer), and Facebook (UNCGMensSoccer) to keep track of all the action and updates!

SERIES HISTORY VS. VCU
Thursday night will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Spartans and Rams, VCU returning to Greensboro after Rich's side earned a 3-2 win on Aug. 24 last season. The Spartans hold the all-time lead, 4-2-1; all four of the most recent matchups have been relatively high scoring, with at least four goals in each of them.

SCOUTING THE RAMS 
Head Coach Dave Giffard enters his 17^th unit at the helm of the VCU program, the two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year seeking a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in Richmond. Coming off of a 6-6-5 campaign, the Rams finished 44^th in the RPI last season and return five of the team's six leading point-getters from 2025. Seniors Sulaiman Abdul-Mateen and Andrey Salmeron are back after tying for the team-high with eight points, with five of the Rams' six leading scorers back with this year's squad. Two key stats from last season include VCU putting .416 of the team's shots on goal to .353 for opponents, and the unit's home/road splits; the Rams were 5-3-1 away from Richmond and 1-3-4 at the VCU Athletic Village. 
 

Game 2: No. 14 UNC Greensboro (0-0-0, SoCon) vs. San Francisco (0-0-0, West Coast Conference)
Date & Time	Sunday, Aug. 23 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Location	Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
Tickets	Free Admission
Coverage	Live Stats: Live Stats Broadcast: ESPN+
Promotions	BOGO Hot Dogs
Social Media	Follow the UNC Greensboro men's soccer team on Instagram (@uncgsoccer), Twitter (@UNCGsoccer), and Facebook (UNCGMensSoccer) to keep track of all the action and updates!

 SERIES HISTORY VS. SAN FRANCISCO
Sunday's contest will be the third all-time between the Dons and Spartans, San Francisco holding a 2-0-0 series advantage. Men's soccer is just the second sport that the two teams have met in along with women's basketball once on Nov. 5, 2025.

SCOUTING THE DONS
Coming off of a 10-6-1 campaign in 2025, the most wins for the program since 2017, Chris Brown's program will provide another solid test early for the Spartans. The Dons reached No. 20 in the NCAA rankings in September and had two players tabbed as First Team All-WCC selections. Both of those players, junior forwards Braydon Beason and David Raphael, are back after combining for 15 goals and five assists; 2025 WCC All-Freshman selection Ben Norris is also back after racking up two goals and four assists in his debut season. Key stats from last season are shooting volume, as San Francisco outshot opponents 240-159, and corners; the Dons attempted 92 while limiting opponents to 67 chances. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Forward Steven Hernandez, defender Mohammad Sumaila, and goalkeeper Seth Wilson booked spots on The Southern Conference (SoCon) Preseason All-Conference Team, announced on Aug. 17. Hernandez and Wilson are both returning Second Team All-Conference selections, while Sumaila is back after helping anchor the back line in 22 games. 

SPARTANS IN THE SOCON PRESEASON POLL 
Released on Aug. 17, this year's SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll found UNCG in second with 31 points, only trailing national No. 3 Furman (34 points); the Spartans also garnered a pair of first-place votes. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION IN GREENSBORO
The Spartans bring back 11 members of last year's NCAA squad, led by forwards Steven Hernandez (15 points in 2025) and Pablo Torre (nine). They'll be the leaders in a forward group looking to replace big time production from the duo of Enzo Dovlo (28 points) and Arnaud Tattevin (26). Defensively, Trym Linberg joins Sumaila as a returner to screen Wilson in goal after appearing in 23 games in 2025. 

BIG NAMES ON DECK THIS SEASON
UNCG is set to play five opponents this season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll, with four of those matches set for UNCG Soccer Stadium. A visit from No. 23 West Virginia on Friday, Aug. 28 is the first; the first two weeks of October offer a major challenge, the Spartans hosting NC State (No. 2), Furman (No. 3) and Marshall (No. 17) between Oct. 3 and Oct. 13. A trip to No. 16 High Point follows on Oct. 20. 

The Spartans met ranked opponents five times in 2025, posting a 1-1-3 record that included a win over No. 5 High Point (2-0), a draw against No. 3 NC State (1-1), and two draws against Virginia, which was ranked ninth during the first meeting (1-1) and second during the NCAA Tournament (2-2, UNCG advanced on penalties.) 

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UNCG will remain at home the following week to host No. 23 West Virginia on Friday, Aug. 28 for a 7:00pm showdown at UNCG Soccer Stadium.