HACKENSACK, N.J. - FDU women's soccer officially announced their 2024 schedule on Monday afternoon. Two-time NEC Champion and 2017 Coach of the Year Eric Teepe returns to the sidelines for another season in charge of the Knights. He is assisted by Melanie Cuhna, who is entering her second season with the team.
 
2023 in Review
 
The 2023 Burgundy and Blue got off to a slow start before surging to win their last seven games of the regular season. The Knights finished with an 8-2 conference record and clinched the #3 seed in the NEC tournament. They would fall short against Wagner in the quarterfinal.
 
Returning from that squad is an enormous amount of budding talent. Teepe retains a good bulk of his starting XI and notably brings back four all-conference performers. This group includes three rising sophomores. Katia Cardaba and Ana Salas were both All-NEC and All-Rookie players in 2023 and will be donning the Knights kit again in 2024. They were joined by FDU's steady midfielder Laura Martinez, who also graced the All-Rookie team in her debut season.
 
Rounding out the all-conference honorees returning to Teaneck is versatile back Andrea Ougaard. Ougaard landed on the NEC's Second XI after anchoring the Knights' defense to a tune of .80 goals against average in conference play, a mark that only one other Northeast foe matched. Ouugard will see familiar faces to her left and right on the pitch as Leighann Kafel, Anna Cacciutolo, and Mona Schlegl all return as key pieces of FDU's defense.
 
2024 Schedule 
                                                    

DATE	TIME	AT	OPPONENT
Aug 18 (Sun)	12 p.m.	Home	Seton Hall
Aug 22 (Thu)	7 p.m.	Away	Stony Brook
Aug 24 (Sat)	7:30 p.m.	Away	Navy
Aug 29 (Thu)	6 p.m.	Away	Providence
Sep 1 (Sun)	1 p.m.	Away	Vermont
Sep 5 (Thu)	7 p.m.	Away	Columbia
Sep 12 (Thu)	7 p.m.	Away	Hofstra
Sep 15 (Sun)	12 p.m.	Home	Bucknell
Sep 19 (Thu)	6 p.m.	Away	Delaware State
Sep 22 (Sun)	12 p.m.	Home	Chicago State
Sep 26 (Thu)	6 p.m.	Away	Central Connecticut
Sep 29 (Sun)	5 p.m.	Home	Wagner
Oct 3 (Thu)	5 p.m.	Home	Mercyhurst
Oct 10 (Thu)	4 p.m.	Away	Saint Francis
Oct 17 (Thu)	3 p.m.	Away	Stonehill
Oct 20 (Sun)	12 p.m.	Home	LIU
Oct 27 (Sun)	3 p.m.	Away	Howard
Oct 31 (Thu)	7 p.m.	Home	Le Moyne

 
A Deeper Look
 
For the second straight season, FDU kicks off their schedule with a Big East opponent. Last year the Knights took on St. John's in New York. This year the Knights welcome Seton Hall to University Stadium for their home opener. In 2021, FDU toppled the Pirates in a double-overtime Teaneck thriller by a score of 1-0.
 
After opening the season at home, the Knights embark on a formidable six-match, four week-long "road trip".  In this span, FDU takes on Stony Brook, Navy, Providence, Vermont, Columbia, and Hofstra. Two of those six teams, Providence and Columbia, were in the NCAA tournament last year.
 
Upon their return home, the Knights welcome Bucknell to New Jersey for the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
This year's NEC schedule features a slate of ten games and welcomes newcomers Mercyhurst and Chicago State. FDU's first getaways to the Windy City and Erie, Pa. will have to wait as the Knights host both teams at University Stadium in 2024. The Chicago State matchup serves the Knights' NEC home opener on September 22.
 
Before taking on the Cougars, the Knights conference campaign commences at Delaware State on September 19. These teams had to wait until the last day of the regular season to meet last year, a contest that FDU claimed 3-0.
 
FDU gets their run at defending NEC Champion Central Connecticut on September 26. 10 of the last 11 matchups in this series have been decided by one goal or less with FDU holding a slim 6-4-1 edge in those meetings. The 2023 rendition saw the Blue Devils find a game-winning goal in the match's waning seconds to take the battle by a score of 2-1.

For the second straight season, the Knights get to close out the regular season at home. This time around they take on Le Moyne in a Halloween night special. Goals from Ana Salas and Katia Cardaba lifted the Knights over the Dolphins by a score of 2-1 in 2023.
 
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