de>GETTYSBURG, Pa. It has been two years since the Gettysburg College men’s soccer team has played a game on the pitch because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that will change in 2021 as the Bullets announce their schedule for the upcoming season.
During the 2019 season, Gettysburg had a season to remember. The squad finished 12-8-1 overall and qualified for the Centennial Conference postseason for the third consecutive season, including an appearance in the conference semifinals. The Bullets played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, which helped the team earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The team made the most of its first trip to the national stage in 18 years, shutting out one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, No. 22 Oglethorpe University, 5-0 in the opening round. The amazing season came to a close with a 3-2 setback to 11th-ranked Washington & Lee University in the next round.
Four CC teams, including the Bullets, made it to the national tournament in 2019, tying a conference record. Johns Hopkins University, the reigning conference champions, Franklin & Marshall College, the conference runner-ups, and Swarthmore College, who made it to the NCAA Sweet 16. The CC was second to the New England Small College Athletic Conference in the number of institutions earning bids to the NCAA tournament.
Gettysburg, which holds a steady ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Region on a weekly basis, has another loaded schedule for 2021.
The Bullets season home opener is against the reigning Landmark Conference Champions Catholic University on Sept. 1., who also competed in the 2019 NCAA tournament. Gettysburg will then embark on its way to Virginia to face Greensboro College and Christopher Newport University on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5th, respectively. The Pride captured the 2021 USA South East Division title while the Captains earned an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs in 2019, falling to Swarthmore in the second round.
The road trips will continue for Gettysburg as they travel to Lycoming College on Sept. 11 and Lebanon Valley College on Sept. 15.
Gettysburg welcomes Ursinus College on Sept. 18 for its CC opener and Stevenson University on Sept. 22. The Bullets close the month of September playing at Swarthmore College on the 25th and return home to face Dickinson College on the 29th.
The Bullets travel to Baltimore, Md. on Oct. 2 to take on Johns Hopkins with the team’s next contest occurring on Oct. 5 against Susquehanna University at home. Gettysburg goes to Lancaster on Oct. 9 to battle rivals Franklin & Marshall and competes against Salisbury University and Washington College (Md.) on Oct. 13 and Oct. 16, respectively, in Gettysburg.
The final three regular-season contests will feature all CC opponents. Gettysburg makes the short drive to Westminster, Md. to take on McDaniel College on Oct. 20, play Haverford College at home on Oct. 23, and compete at Muhlenberg College on Oct. 30.
All home games will be streamed live on the Centennial Conference Digital Network.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.