The defending Colonial Athletic Association champion University of Delaware men's soccer program and head coach Ian Hennessy have announced a challenging 2017 season schedule.

The Blue Hens, who advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in program history by winning the 2016 CAA title last fall, will highlight the 16-game regular season ledger with eight games in Newark at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.

After road exhibition games at George Mason and Saint Joseph's in mid-August, UD will open the season with two home games, on Monday, Aug. 28, against Bryant at 7 p.m. and on Thursday, Aug. 31, against Temple at 2 p.m. The Temple game will be held prior to the UD football team's season opener against Delaware State that same day at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium

The Hens will then hit the road for three non-conference games against Holy Cross on Sept. 3, against 2016 NCAA tournament selection and rival Villanova on Sept. 6, and at Seton Hall on Sept. 13. UD will return home for the CAA opener against the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) on Sept. 17.

Other highlights include a non-conference road matchup with Atlantic Coast Conference member Duke (Oct. 24), and home games against Drexel (Sept. 27), Penn (Oct. 4), James Madison (Oct. 11) and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (Oct. 17), before concluding the regular season at home against Elon on Oct. 28.

UD will travel to Northeastern (Sept. 23), William and Mary (Sept. 30), 2016 CAA runner-up and regular season champion Hofstra (Oct. 7), and the College of Charleston (Oct. 21) to round out the conference slate.

Despite losing four-time All-American, two-time CAA Player of the Year and MLS first round draft pick Guillermo Delgado, as well as second round draftee Thomas de Villardi to graduation, UD returns many top performers from last year's team that went 12-8-1 overall, including a 6-3 mark on the home pitch.

First team All-CAA selection Todd Morton (seven shutouts) will be back between the posts for Hens while senior defender Thibault Philippe and sophomore midfielder Fede Prieto (seven goals) will lead their respective units.

Philippe and Prieto each earned second team All-CAA honors a year ago. Junior midfielder Robert Gillin and junior defender John Schroeder also return following All-CAA campaigns. In total the Blue Hens return five All-CAA selections from last season.

The CAA tournament will begin Nov. 4 with quarterfinals at home sites, and will continue with the semifinal and championship at the site of the regular season champion Nov. 10-12.