BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Head coach Dustin Fonder has announced the 2022 Campbell University men's soccer schedule.  The defending Big South Conference champs open the 18-match regular season slate Aug. 25 and will host nine contests.
 
"We are excited for the upcoming 2022 fall season," said Fonder, who is entering his eighth season in Buies Creek.  "We have put together a very challenging schedule for our group. We bring back a great deal of experience so we want to play a schedule that can set us up for two access points to the NCAA tournament. We think with quality wins our strength of schedule can get us into the at-large RPI discussion, and if not, we can still fight for the Big South's automatic bid. We look forward to starting on our quest in August."
 
Non-conference dates start with Houston Baptist tournament
After preseason matches at Elon (Aug. 14) and in Buies Creek vs. Mercer (Aug. 20), the Camels open the campaign Aug. 25-27 with a trip to the Houston Baptist Invitational.  Campbell will face a pair of WAC members – Incarnate Word and host HBU – and five Camels will be able to compete in their home state, including returnees Jalen James and Adrian Morales.
 
Campbell travels to A-10 member Davidson on Sept. 1 for the 18th between the in-state rivals, which first squared off in 1963 – CU's inaugural men's soccer season.  Last year, the Wildcats claimed a 3-1 win in Buies Creek, Campbell's only loss at home during the entire campaign.
 
The home opener is set for Sept. 5 when longtime rival Coastal Carolina visits the Eakes Athletic Complex.  The Chanticleers, who competed as Big South members from 1984-2015, are one of three Sun Belt Conference teams on the 2022 slate.  Coastal, which has advanced to the NCAA tournament 10 times since 2010, won the last meeting with the Camels, a 1-0 decision in 2019 at Conway, S.C.
 
CU then travels to Old Dominion on Fri., Sept. 9.  Like Coastal, the Monarchs are moving to the Sun Belt Conference in men's soccer this fall.  Last year, CU claimed a 4-1 victory over ODU at Buies Creek, sparked by goals from Diego Konincks, Kemy Amiche, Tyler Young and Daniel Hernandez.
 
For the first time in 30 years, Campbell and Virginia Commonwealth will meet in men's soccer on Sept. 14 when the Rams make the three-hour trip down I-95 to Buies Creek.  VCU finished 9-7-2 overall, 4-3-1 in the A10 last season.
 
Campbell and South Carolina will square off for just the second time in CU's 60-season men's soccer history on Sept. 17 in Columbia.  In the only other meeting between the teams, the fourth-ranked Gamecocks, whose lineup included future U.S. National Team fixture Clint Mathis, downed Campbell by a 4-0 margin in 1995.
 
Defending Southern Conference regular season champion UNCG travels to Buies Creek on Sept. 21 for the 28th all-time between the Camels and Spartans.  The Camels opened the 2021 campaign with a 3-1 victory at Greensboro thanks to Young's double and an insurance goal provided by Gerrard Broussard.
 
The non-conference slate closes with matches against UAB (Oct. 18) in Buies Creek and at Campbell's most frequent rival – UNC Wilmington (Oct. 25). 
 
Conference USA member UAB and Campbell will square off for the first time ever.  CU began playing men's soccer in 1963, while UAB's first season was 1979. 
 
One week later, Campbell travels to Wilmington for the 55th renewal of the Cape Fear River Derby.  Last fall, the Camels defeated UNCW 3-2 behind goals from Franck Momo, Hernandez and Young and improved to 28-24-2 in the all-time series, which dates to 1966.
 
Big South defense starts at Upstate
The Big South Conference slate begins on Sat., Sept. 24 when the Camels travel to USC Upstate.  CU clinched the 2021 league regular season title with a 1-0 victory over the Spartans last October thanks to a 28th minute goal from George Bediko and Edu Rodriguez' clean sheet.  CU stands 8-1-2 all-time against Upstate, 3-0-2 since the Spartans joined the league in 2018.
 
Winthrop visits Campbell Oct. 1 in the 30th meeting between the teams.  Campbell, which downed the Eagles in the 1984 and 1991 Big South title games, has won the last four contests against Winthrop, including a 7-0 decision in the 2021 semifinals behind three goals from Hernandez and Amiche's assists hat trick.  The Camels hold a 23-6 lead in the series.
 
Campbell takes a 7-4-1 edge in the series into an Oct. 5 kickoff at Longwood.  CU extended its win streak in the series to three matches last October when the Camels defeated the Lancers 3-1 at Buies Creek and out-shot the visitors 22-2.
 
The Camels have won their last seven matches in the series on the line with UNC Asheville, which visits the Eakes Complex for a Homecoming night kickoff on Oct. 8.  In seven seasons under Coach Fonder, Campbell stands 7-0 and has outscored the Bulldogs 25-6.  Young scored twice and added an assist in last season's 5-1 victory at Asheville.
 
Campbell and High Point, which have combined to win the last four Big South titles, meet Oct. 12 in Buies Creek in a rematch of the 2019 and 2021 finals on the same field.  Following a scoreless draw during the 2021 regular season at High Point and Campbell's 3-2 win in the Big South title match, Campbell owns a 14-9-6 edge in the all-time series.
 
Radford, which has dropped its last four matches against Campbell, hosts the Camels on Oct. 15.  CU stands 16-14-1 all-time against its fellow Big South charter member.  Hernandez, Young and Momo scored in last season's 3-1 victory at Buies Creek.
 
After facing UAB and UNCW outside of league play, Campbell wraps up the Big South regular season with a home match against Presbyterian (Oct. 29) and a road trip to Gardner-Webb (Nov. 2).
 
Campbell has won the last five contests with Presbyterian, dating to the 2018 Big South final at Clinton, S.C., where Gideon Betz provided the golden goal that sent the Camels to their first NCAA postseason competition in 11 seasons.  Last year, CU blanked the Blue Hose 3-0 on the road, sparked by Amiche's goal and assist.  The Camels stand 9-5-0 all-time vs. Presbyterian.
 
Unbeaten in its last six (5-0-1) against the Runnin' Bulldogs, Campbell travels to Boiling Springs for the Nov. 2 regular season finale.  Gerard Broussard's double and three assists by Young led CU to a 6-1 victory last season in Buies Creek.  CU owns a 15-4-2 edge in the all-time record books with GWU.
 
Big South Championship to include four teams
The Big South Championship starts Sun., Nov. 6 when the top two seeds in the standings will host the third and fourth teams in semifinal matches.  The highest remaining seed will host the Big South Championship final on Sat., Nov. 12 with the league's automatic berth in the NCAA College Cup at stake.  Campbell is unbeaten (6-0-2) in the last four Big South tournaments while claiming the titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
 
The 2022 NCAA College Cup culminates Dec. 9 and 11 with the semifinals and finals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
 
Eight starters return from 2021 Big South double winning side
Campbell (15-4-2, 7-0-1) won the 2021 Big South Conference regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament, where it fell 2-1 at No. 27 Virginia Tech in the opening round.  The Camels return the Big South offensive (Tyler Young) and defensive (Bissafi Dotte) players of the year, in addition to All-South Region performers Young, Moses Mensah and Amiche, who also earned freshman All-America honors.  Two-time all-conference center back Diego Konincks also well as 2020 all-region choice Jalen James also return for CU.

The 2019 and 2021 Big South Coach of the Year, Fonder has led the Camels to five league trophies and three NCAA College Cup appearances over the last four seasons, in addition to the program's highest-ever year-ending national rankings as a Division I member.  Over his first seven seasons in Buies Creek, Fonder has guided Campbell to a 73-45-12 overall record (.608), including a 37-16-4 mark (.684) in Big South play.