Arizona soccer announces 2023 fall schedule

Arizona soccer had a strong run down the stretch last year, leaving the Wildcats narrowly out of the NCAA Tournament field in head coach Becca Moros’ second season. On Thursday afternoon, the program released the schedule that it hopes will get it back into the field of 64 in 2023. The schedule includes six appearances on one of the Pac-12 networks.

Arizona is less than two months from the kickoff of the fall schedule, which starts with an exhibition match at Pepperdine on Thursday, Aug. 10. It will be the sole exhibition match of the season.

The regular season starts on Thursday, Aug. 17 when the Wildcats continue on the road with a trip to Iowa State. The team will finally appear at Mulcahy Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 24 when it hosts Grand Canyon.

Three days later, UA completes the home state out-of-conference schedule by traveling to play Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. NAU is the lone team on Arizona’s nonconference schedule that appeared in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Arizona continues its rapid succession of matches with contests against Kent State on Thursday, Aug. 31 and Boise State on Sunday, Sept. 3. Both of those matches will be held at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The match against the Broncos will be the Wildcats’ first appearance on the Pac-12 Network.

The Wildcats return home to host Texas Tech and Utah State on Sept. 7 and Sept. 10, respectively. UA concludes the nonconference schedule by traveling to Spokane, Wash. to play Gonzaga on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Moros and her squad open Pac-12 play at home against Oregon on Friday, Sept. 22. They then follow to the Bay Area to take on California and Stanford on Thursday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 1. The match against the Golden Bears will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Reigning national champion UCLA will visit Mulcahy Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 19. It will be the final regular season conference match between the two programs before the Bruins leave for the Big Ten. It will air on Pac-12 Los Angeles.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, the Wildcats host USC for the final time before it, too, leaves the Pac-12. UA upset the Women of Troy last season.

Arizona’s final two matches that will air on the Pac-12 Networks are at Colorado on Thursday, Oct. 26 and against Arizona State on Friday, Nov. 3. The match in Boulder will air on Pac-12 Mountain while the match at Mulcahy Stadium will air on Pac-12 Arizona.

Five Pac-12 teams made the NCAA Tournament last season, including the national champion Bruins. The others are ASU, Cal, Stanford, and USC. Only UCLA and Stanford advanced beyond the first round, and the Cardinal were upset by Brigham Young in the second round. Along with NAU, that puts six teams from last year’s tournament on Arizona’s 19-match schedule.

All home matches that do not air on one of the Pac-12 networks will be live streamed at Arizona Live Stream 2.