The Albertus Magnus men’s soccer team looks forward to another promising season in 2011 after making its second-straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament appearance last fall. The Falcons’ 2010 season was also highlighted by earning a spot in the ECAC Tournament as a fifth seed.

The Falcons’ season begins on Thursday, Sept. 1 with the season-opener being at in-state foe Western Connecticut State University. The Falcons’ 18-match schedule features nine home contests with the home opener scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12 against Regis College.

Albertus will open conference play on Saturday, Sept. 10 on the road against last season’s GNAC Tournament Champion, Suffolk. The Rams edged the Falcons 2-1 in the GNAC Championship game for the NCAA Tournament bid.

Head coach Jim Bernardo will lead the Falcons in his seventh season as head coach after guiding his team to a program-best 15-win season in 2010.

The Falcons will rely on Jamal Howard to lead the way this season as he was an NSCAA/Performance Subaru Men’s DIII All-New England Region Second Team member in 2010. He will be joined by fellow 2010 GNAC First Team honorees Nick Hamasian and Steven Zapata. Hamasian is coming off a season in which he was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.

The 2011 men’s soccer schedule will feature 10 league contests during the regular season, including an Oct. 10 match-up against Anna Maria, an institution that is joining the conference in the fall of 2011.

The Falcons’ first four games will be played on the road with visits to both New York and Massachusetts after their season opener at WCSU in Danbury, Conn. On Saturday, Sept. 3, Albertus will face Mt. St. Mary’s in Newburgh, N.Y. before taking on Westfield State (Westfield, Mass.) and Suffolk (Boston, Mass.) in the Bay State.

Monday, Sept. 12 marks the Falcons’ home opener in New Haven with a match against Regis. That contest will be the first game played on the Albertus Magnus’ new turf field, which is currently being installed on campus. Beginning Sept. 24, the Falcons will play in six-straight conference games, with four scheduled at home. This season, Albertus will host Regis, Mitchell, Johnson & Wales, Rivier, Emerson, Anna Maria, USCGA, Lasell and Wheelock.

The Falcons will face Lasell on Saturday, Oct. 22 in their final regular-season conference game. Lasell won the 2010 regular season as the Lasers went unbeaten with a 7-0-2 record in league play. Lasell’s Dan Hatch was the GNAC’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2010 as well.

To access the 2011 Albertus Magnus men’s soccer schedule click here.