Men's Soccer | 6/30/2026 12:00:00 PM

ERIE, Pa. – Gannon head men's soccer coach Billy Colton has announced the 2026 schedule for the Golden Knights, who enter the season coming off the first PSAC Championship in program history and the program's eighth NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance.

The Golden Knights will play 17 regular-season matches during the 2026 season, including eight home contests, eight road matches and one neutral-site game.

Gannon opens both the season and home schedule on Thursday, Aug. 27, welcoming Lake Erie to McConnell Family Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The opening homestand concludes on Sunday, Aug. 30 when the Golden Knights host PSAC East foe East Stroudsburg at noon.

The Golden Knights will continue non-conference play with a road trip to Ashland on Sept. 4 before facing Post in a neutral-site contest in Lock Haven, Pa. on Sept. 8. Post finished the 2025 season with a 9-3-7 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the opening round. Gannon and Post battled to a 1-1 draw during the 2025 season.

Gannon then travels to Rutherford, N.J. to take on Felician on Sept. 13. The matchup will mark the first meeting in program history between the Golden Knights and Golden Falcons. Felician enters the season after posting an 8-7-3 record in 2025. Gannon wraps up non-conference action at home against D'Youville on Sept. 16.

The Golden Knights will also travel to face PSAC East foe West Chester on Oct. 3 in a non-conference matchup. Gannon earned a 2-1 victory over the Golden Rams in the PSAC Final Four a season ago, advancing to the conference championship match that led to their first PSAC title in program history.

"We are looking forward to a challenging schedule in 2026. We will play one new team as we travel to Felician which has been a very strong program the last few years in our Super Region. The rest of the out of conference schedule we played last year and we anticipate a lot of tough games," said Colton.

The 2026 schedule features one new opponent in Felician, while the remainder of the non-conference slate consists of familiar foes. Gannon's non-conference schedule also includes matchups against Lake Erie, Ashland, Post and West Chester as the Golden Knights prepare for the start of PSAC play.

The Golden Knights will begin defense of their PSAC title on Wednesday, Sept. 23, when they host Lock Haven in a PSAC West matchup beginning at 3 p.m.

All eight home matches during the 2026 season will be played inside McConnell Family Stadium.

Gannon returns after a memorable 2025 season that saw the program claim both the PSAC West regular-season championship and the PSAC Tournament title. The Golden Knights finished with a 15-3-4 overall record and advanced to the Elite Eight for the eighth time in program history while earning a final national ranking of No. 11. Gannon opened NCAA Tournament play in the Second Round and defeated No. 11 Bentley and No. 22 Franklin Pierce to advance to the national quarterfinals.

The postseason begins with the PSAC Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 1. The PSAC Final Four is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the highest remaining East Division seed, with the PSAC Championship set for Sunday, Nov. 8.

NCAA Super Region 1 competition will be contested between Nov. 12-22. The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Final Four is scheduled for Dec. 3, with the national championship match slated for Dec. 5. Both the national semifinals and championship contest will be held at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.