West Central Reporter

Western Illinois Men’s Soccer has unveiled its 2024 schedule, marking the team's transition from The Summit League to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). This season introduces new opponents for the Leathernecks, including first-time matches against Liberty and Incarnate Word, as well as a game against Houston Christian—their first encounter since 1985.

The OVC also includes familiar adversaries. Western Illinois will face former Summit League teams Lindenwood and Southern Indiana. Additionally, they will compete against in-state rivals SIUE and Eastern Illinois, whom they have collectively played 85 times.

The season unofficially begins with an exhibition match at UIC on August 10th, followed by the Alumni Game in Macomb on August 17th. The official start features three away games: at Grand Canyon on August 22nd, Butler on August 25th, and Bradley on August 29th.

Western Illinois' home opener is scheduled for September 1st against Quincy. They will then host St. Ambrose on September 5th before traveling to Northern Kentucky on September 8th. A trip to Spokane to play Gonzaga is set for September 15th. The non-conference slate concludes with home games against Northern Illinois on September 20th and IU Indianapolis on September 24th.

The Leathernecks' introduction to OVC competition involves significant travel, starting with a match at Liberty on September 28th. This is followed by games in Texas against Houston Christian on October 3rd and Incarnate Word on October 6th.

John MacKenzie Alumni Field will host five of the final seven regular-season games. Western faces Liberty again at home on October 10th before traveling to Lindenwood on October 13th. Home fixtures include Southern Indiana (October 16) and Eastern Illinois (October 20). After a brief hiatus, they play SIUE away before concluding the season with home matches against Incarnate Word (October 31) and Houston Christian (November 3).

The OVC Men's Soccer Championship is scheduled from November 10-16 in Edwardsville. The top six out of eight conference teams will compete for a spot in the College Cup—a goal last achieved by Western Illinois in 2012.

###