The University of Delaware women's soccer team, which will begin a new era this season under first-year head coach Mike Barroqueiro, has announced its upcoming 2017 schedule, a slate highlighted by nine home matches at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.

Barroqueiro, only the second coach in the program's 27-year history, comes to UD after serving as the associate head coach at North Carolina State University and head coach at Iona College as part of a 12-year career in the collegiate coaching ranks.

The 2017 schedule will include a 19-game regular season slate plus an exhibition match on Aug. 8 at Loyola. The Blue Hens will play nine homes games at Grant Stadium, including five against Colonial Athletic Association foes.

Of UD's 19 opponents this coming fall, 13 of them had winning seasons a year ago, including 11 that won 10 or more games.

“The non-conference slate for this upcoming season will provide us with some great opportunities to prepare ourselves for what is an always challenging CAA schedule,” said Barroquiero. “Our schedule features some of the top teams in our region. I'm excited to see how we stack up with our competition.”

The Blue Hens will begin their season at home with a Friday night matchup against George Washington on Aug. 18 for Barroqueiro's UD debut. The Hens then will go on the road for the first time for a game at Villanova on Aug. 20 before returning home for a tough matchup against 2016 NCAA national semifinalist Georgetown on Aug. 24.

UD will travel to Saint Joseph's on Aug. 27, and Marist on Sept. 1, before returning home for a match against Lehigh on Sept. 3. The Blue Hens then will go back on the road to face Massachusetts on Sept. 8 and Penn on Sept. 11. The Hens will return home for a match against La Salle on Sept. 15 before going back on the road to face Ivy League contender Princeton on Sept. 17.

The Blue Hens will open up CAA play with a match at home against Hofstra on Sept. 21. The Hens then will go on the road to face Towson on Sept. 24 followed by a matchup against defending CAA champion Northeastern on Sept. 28. The Blue Hens defeated the Huskies by a 2-1 score in overtime last season.

UD will return to Grant Stadium for matchups against the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) on Oct. 1 and Drexel on Oct. 5 before hitting the road to face William and Mary on Oct. 8 and College of Charleston on Oct. 12. The Blue Hens then will close out the regular season at home battling against Elon on Oct. 19 and James Madison on Oct. 22.

The CAA tournament will begin with quarterfinal matchups on Oct. 29 at the higher seed's home turf followed by the semifinal and championship games at the site of the CAA regular season champion on Nov. 3 and 5.

The Blue Hens, who will begin preseason drills in early August, return nine players with starting experience, including senior goalkeeper Kailyn Rekos, who led the CAA with 6.11 saves per game a year ago. Also returning is sophomore Dani Kabat, who ranked third on the squad with six points and three goals while being selected to the 2016 CAA All-Rookie team, and junior Riley Curtin, who was a 2015 CAA All-Rookie selection but missed all of last season due to injury.