By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The 2020 schedule for the Willamette University men's soccer team starts with four consecutive games against California teams to begin the regular season. Before regular season action gets underway, the Bearcats will play three exhibition games at home d.

Willamette will host the Alumni Game on Sunday, August 23 to start the overall schedule. The Bearcats will take on Warner Pacific University on Aug. 24 and will play crosstown rival Corban University on Aug. 30 in exhibition games at Sparks Field.

Regular season games will soon follow. Simpson University (Calif.) will play the Bearcats in Salem, on Tuesday, Sept. 1 Willamette then travels to the University of La Verne (Calif.) for a game on Friday, Sept. 4. Games at California Institute of Technology on Saturday, Sept. 5 and at Whittier College (Calif.) on Monday, Sept. 7 will complete the non-conference schedule.

Northwest Conference competition will begin on Sept. 19 at Whitworth University, with a game at Whitman College set for Sept. 20. Willamette's first NWC home game is set for Sept. 26 against Pacific University.

The Bearcats will play all seven NWC opponents at Sparks Field during the season. After battling with Pacific, the Bearcats will play at home against the University of Puget Sound on Oct. 3, Pacific Lutheran University on Oct. 4, George Fox University on Oct. 24, Whitman College on Oct. 31, Whitworth University on Nov. 1, and nearby rival Linfield University on Nov. 7.

Willamette's games against Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran will be part of Homecoming/Family Weekend. The game versus Linfield will be on Senior Day for the Bearcats.

NWC games will be played at 2:30 p.m. until nearly the end of the October. Conference games played on Oct. 31 or later will start at 1:30 p.m.

Willamette completed the 2019 season with an 11-4-4 overall record, including 8-4-2 (26 points, 3rd place) in the NWC. The Bearcats also were 11-4-4 in 2018. They Willamette has won 10 or more games for three years in a row and for six of the last eight seasons.