Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb men's soccer program, in conjunction with the Runnin' Bulldog Athletics Department, is excited to announce the full 2013 men's soccer schedule, which includes two home exhibition contests and seven home matches on the season.

"We are really excited about this year's schedule," head coach Tony Setzer commented. "While on paper it does not look as hard as last year's in which we played five top-25 nationally ranked teams, this year's schedule will be a very challenging one once again, as we play non-conference contests on the road at Clemson, Furman and Mercer, as well as matches versus Wofford and Georgia Southern at the Big South - SoCon Challenge. Not to mention we will host N.C. State out of the ACC and former Atlantic Sun foe USC Upstate, all on top of a very strong Big South Conference schedule."

The Runnin' Bulldogs will play three exhibition contests in the month of August, as Coach Setzer's squad will take on UNC Greensboro in an exhibition bout on Saturday, August 17th, in Greensboro, N.C. before returning home for back-to-back exhibition matches against South Atlantic Conference members Catawba, on August 20th, and Lenoir-Rhyne, on August 24th, at 7 p.m. at Greene-Harbison Field.

Gardner-Webb will kick-off the 2013 regular season slate at the annual Big South/SoCon Challenge which will be hosted this year by the Eagles of Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. from August 30th through September 1st. GWU will take on Wofford College on Friday, August 30th, at 5 p.m. to open up the conference challenge and then will wrap up the event against Georgia Southern at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 1st.

GWU's first home contest of the regular season will come on Wednesday, September 4th, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will host USC Upstate for a 7 p.m. start.

After its annual match up at Clemson on Sunday, September 8th, at 7 p.m., the Runnin' Bulldogs will return home to open up Big South Conference play against the Liberty Flames on Saturday, September 14th, at 1:30 p.m.

The Runnin' Bulldogs then hit the road for a three-match span, as Setzer's team will play road contests at Mercer on Wednesday, September 18th, at Furman on Monday, September 23rd, and then at Coastal Carolina on Saturday, September 28th, in Conway, S.C. All three road matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start.

Gardner-Webb then returns home to host the Atlantic Coast Conference's North Carolina State on the pitch on Tuesday, October 1st, at 7 p.m. in Boiling Springs, N.C., before looking to avenge last year's Big South Men's Soccer Championship first round loss to Radford on Saturday, October 5th, at 6 p.m. in Radford, Va.

Following a home conference contests versus Longwood on Saturday, October 12th, at 5 p.m., the Runnin' Bulldogs will once again hit the road for Big South showdowns at Presbyterian College on Wednesday, October 16th, at 7 p.m. and at VMI on Saturday, October 19th, at 2 p.m. in Lexington, Va.

Three of the final four regular season matches will come at home for the Runnin' Bulldogs, as Gardner-Webb will host UNC Asheville in the "Battle of the Bulldogs" on Wednesday, October 23rd, before wrapping up its regular season road slate at Campbell on Saturday, October 26th, at 1 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.

Gardner-Webb will conclude its regular season slate with back-to-back Big South home contests versus Winthrop on Wednesday, October 30th, and High Point on Saturday, November 2nd, with both matches set for a 7 p.m. kick-off.

For the second straight year, the Big South Conference Men's Soccer Championship will be held at Bryant Park in Greensboro, N.C. with the first round of matches being played at the sites of the top-four seeds. This year's 2013 Big South Men's Soccer Championship will run from November 12th through November 17th with the Champion earning an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer College Cup.

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