2013 Schedule
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Saint Peter's University men's soccer head coach Julian Richens has announced his 2013 schedule. The 18-game slate is highlighted by 10 games at Jaroschak Field.
"We are looking forward to an exciting season at Saint Peters," said Richens, who enters his third season at Saint Peter's in 2013. "It's a tough schedule which is what we wanted before our conference starts," "Delaware, Lafayette and George Washington won the conference or have been runners up in the last two seasons. We also have very difficult trips on the road at St. Francis Brooklyn and Binghamton."
The Peacocks will open up their 55th campaign in program history at home against Temple on Aug. 30. It marks the first time the team will play the inaugural game of the season in Jersey City since 2010 and for the 15th time in program history. The Owls will make their first trip to Jaroschak Field after taking the first-ever meeting between the two program's 2-1 last year in Philadelphia.
Saint Peter's will then welcome another Pennsylvania program to town on Sept. 4 when Lafayette makes its first trip to Jersey City since 1994. It will be the first time the two teams have played since 2007 with the Leopards holding a 7-1 advantage in the series.
The Peacocks then will then hit the road for a two games, starting at St. Francis Brooklyn on Sept. 10. Saint Peter's is riding a four-game unbeaten streak in the series and holds a 4-3-1 edge in the matchup in the first tilt since 2006 against the Terriers. The team will then travel to La Salle on Sept. 14. The Explorers won 1-0 in overtime last season in the first match between the two teams in four years to take a 9-4 advantage in the series.
Saint Peter's returns to Jaroschak Field on Sept. 18 to start a two-game homestand against a pair of teams from the Mid-Atlantic region. George Washington will make its first trip to Jersey City in the first contest against the Peacocks since 1992 when the Colonials downed Saint Peter's 3-1 in the nation's capital. Delaware also returns to the slate after a year absence with Saint Peter's holding a 3-1 edge in the series.
The team will head to Binghamton for the first-ever meeting against the Bearcats on Sept. 24 and then will return home for the first-ever meeting against Bryant to wrap up non-conference play on Sept. 27. The Peacocks are 1-4-2 against the America East with its one win against Stony Brook in 1999. Saint Peter's will have played all 10 teams in the Northeast Conference (NEC) after its match against Bryant. The Peacocks have 23 wins teams currently in the NEC and hold winning marks against St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner (8-2).
"Our conference is going to be very interesting this year and with the additions of two quality programs in Monmouth and Quinnipiac it only enhances the strength of the MAAC," said Richens.
The Peacocks will open up the new look Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule on the road at Niagara on Oct. 5. Saint Peter's will open league play on the road for the 19th time in the 33-year history of the league and for the seventh-straight season. After last year's meeting against the Purple Eagles was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy, the two teams will play for the first time since 2011 with Saint Peter's holding a 13-8-4 advantage in the series.
The Peacocks then return home to host Rider in the squad's MAAC home opener on Oct. 9. The Broncs lead the series 16-11, but Saint Peter's won the meeting in 2012 in Lawrenceville, 2-0.
The squad will head to Marist on Oct. 12 before returning home to host Manhattan on Oct. 16. Despite the Red Foxes winning the last two matches, Saint Peter's leads the series 14-11-1 while the Peacocks have won seven-straight against Manhattan to take a 27-8-1 lead in the series.
Monmouth joins the league in 2013 and Saint Peter's will play its first MAAC game against the Hawks at the Great Lawn in West Long Branch on Oct. 23. Monmouth leads the series 14-13 and the Hawks won the last two tilts in the series.
After its game on the Jersey Shore, the Peacocks will play three of its final five regular season home games at home. Canisius (Oct. 26) and Iona (Oct. 30) start the stretch with games at Jaroschak Field to close out the month of October. Saint Peter's has won three straight against the Golden Griffins to take a 12-10-1 lead in the series, but the two teams did not play in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy. The Peacocks hold a 16-15-3 edge against the Gaels after Iona won last year's matchup.
The Peacocks then travel to Quinnipiac (Nov. 2) and to Fairfield (Nov. 6) for the squad's final road trip. The Bobcats join the league in 2013 and will face Saint Peter's for the first time since 2006. The Peacocks lead the series against Quinnipiac 4-1 and have won four consecutive in the series. The Stags hold a 20-18-5 advantage in the series against Saint Peter's, but the Peacocks won last year's tilt in Jersey City.
Saint Peter's returns home to close out the regular season against Siena on Nov. 9. The Saints have won the last two contests in the matchup to take a 12-10-2 lead in the series.
After playing conference matches on Friday and Sunday in previous seasons, league games will now be played on Wednesday and Saturday.
The MAAC Tournament will take place on Nov. 15 and 17 at Fairfield University. The Top-4 teams in the regular season standings will advance to the tournament.
The Peacocks finished 2012 with an overall record of 5-11 and a 3-4 mark in league play.
