Dalton State releases men’s soccer schedule

Published 12:47 pm Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Dalton State College soccer coach Saif Alsafeer has released the 2024 men’s soccer schedule.

Nine contests highlight the home slate that includes the Dalton Classic and complements seven matches on the road or a neutral site. The Birds are coming off a 14-2-4 season in 2023 that ended with an NAIA Final Eight loss to St. Thomas on penalty kicks.

“We’re very excited to release our schedule to the public,” said Coach Alsafeer. “We’ve had tremendous supporters of our teams follow us here in Dalton and on our away trips. We’ve packed the schedule with exciting fixtures that our fans won’t want to miss. It’s a great time to be a Roadrunner.”

Things get started on Aug. 17 with a 5 p.m. home match against in-state Reinhardt. The Dalton Classic will come next on Aug. 22 and 24. On the first day of action, the Roadrunners will take on Brescia, while an always-stout Columbia International will face Dalton State on the second day. Georgia Gwinnett will also take part in the event, playing the opposite opponents on both days of action.

DSC repays Gwinnett by taking part in Grizzly Classic in Lawrenceville on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2. The Birds will play Rocky Mountain and a Bryan team in their two matches.

A long stretch of rest follows before hitting the pitch again on Sept. 13 at home against Cumberland. The match against the Phoenix will be their final non-conference tune-up before Southern States Athletic Conference play begins on Sept. 21 against Thomas in Thomasville.

The Roadrunners return home on Sept. 25 and 27 to host Faulkner and Point before hitting the road again for matches at Brewton-Parker and Middle Georgia State on Oct. 3 and 5.

Highly-anticipated matches with Mobile and William Carey occur on Oct. 11 and 13 at Dalton Stadium. The Roadrunners, Rams, and Crusaders are all perennial national championship contenders with these matches deciding the SSAC regular season champion each of the past four years.

Blue Mountain Christian comes to Dalton on Oct. 16 for a mid-week match that follows a big weekend for DSC. A road trip to UT Southern comes next on Oct. 19, with the regular season finale happening on Oct. 24 in Marietta against the ever-dangerous Life Running Eagles.

Post-season play begins on Nov. 1 and 2 with SSAC quarterfinal matches. Winners will then travel to Montgomery, Alabama, Nov. 6 and 8 for the SSAC Semifinals and Final.

The NAIA 1st and 2nd Rounds will take place Nov. 21 and 23, with winners advancing to the NAIA Final Site Dec. 2 through 9 in Wichita, Kansas.

Submitted by Dalton State College.