There is no place like home for the first week of the season for the HU men's soccer team. The Pipers play three of the nine games slated for Paterson Field in 2018 in the first seven days of the season. It starts with the lidlifter against Wartburg on Friday, August 31 at 4:30 p.m. A western invader -- Pacific (OR) is here Sunday, Sept. 2 at 12:30 p.m. and a more traditional foe -- Northwestern (MN) drops in Thursday, Sept. 6 for a 4:00 p.m. showing. 

The good news for ead coach Alex Morawiecki, starting his seventh season on the sidelines, is last year's top two scorers -- Adam King and Stefan Kinsinger (seven goals each) are back as is Ben Sorenson and Trevor Lewellen (pictured) to patrol the midfield and the goaltending duo of Dean Isaacson and Malachy Zamacona. On the flip side, graduation hit the Pipers on defense and in the midfield. Thus, the bulk of the 12 new faces on the 2018 roster come in experienced at those positions. 

In the annual coaches' preseason poll, HU was slotted for sixth place -- the final postseason playoff post. The Pipers, who tied a school record a year ago with 12 wins (including a dramatic OT playoff win against St. John's at home), will get an early taste of what they will have to do to return to the postseason when they welcome Macalester for the MIAC opener September 12. The Scots were picked to place second in the annual preseason poll.