JOLIET, Ill. --- Looking to build on its most successful season in six years, the University of St. Francis women's soccer team will begin that journey on Aug. 23 when it opens its 2022 season with a home date against Goshen College (Ind.).  It will also be the first time the Saints get to experience the new FieldTurf surface currently being installed on Busey Bank Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

After that contest, head coach Al Palar's squad becomes road warriors with each of its next three matches and six of nine being away from home.  The month of October is a near flip-flop for St. Francis with five of its final eight regular-season dates being home affairs.

Included among the non-conference contests are matches against University of Saint Francis, Ind. (Aug. 27), Huntington University, Ind. (Sept. 3), Marian University, Ind. (Sept. 7) and University of Northwestern Ohio (Sept. 10).  Only the latter one of those four games is at home, while Marian will be a matchup against the team that placed No. 7 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll last year.

Home contests against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) foes will be Indiana University Northwest (Sept. 17), Holy Cross College (Sept. 20), Calumet College of St. Joseph (Oct. 1), Olivet Nazarene University (Oct. 4), Trinity Christian College (Oct. 15), Saint Xavier University (Oct. 22) and defending regular-season league champion Judson University (Oct. 26). 

Included among the six road conference dates will be a matchup against CCAC Tournament champion St. Ambrose University on Oct. 8.

The Saints concluded their 2021 season with an overall record of 9-7-2. The nine wins were the most since the 2015 campaign. The season also marked the first time since 2017 that USF made the CCAC Tournament and the first time since 2014 that it got as far as the semifinal round.

For the complete USF women's soccer schedule, go to Schedule.

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