THOMASVILLE – Thomas University, the defending Sun Conference men’s soccer champion coming off a berth in the NAIA National Championship second round, has unveiled its 2017 schedule, head coach Ricky Zambrano announced Tuesday afternoon. The Night Hawks are eyeing their fourth national championship appearance in the last five seasons.

TU plays four games against squads that reached the national championship last season, beginning with the Aug. 26 opener against Bryan (Tenn.). Another occurs during the non-conference portion of its schedule when the Night Hawks face Georgia Gwinnett on Oct. 17 at Columbus State (Ga.) in a rematch of last season’s national championship opening round contest, won by TU in overtime. Two feature consecutive Sun Conference opponents, Saint Thomas (Fla.) on Sept. 30 and at Keiser (Fla.), which reached the second round, on Oct. 7.

The Night Hawks’ first four matches this season take place at TU Soccer Complex. Following the season opener, TU hosts Vanguard (Calif.) Aug. 28, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Sept. 2 and Dalton State (Ga.) Sept. 3.

“We are very pleased with the make-up of our schedule,” Zambrano, the reigning Sun Conference coach of the year, said. “As always, it combines some of the top non-conference teams in the country along with our very tough Sun Conference opponents. We will find out very early what we are made of.”

That first four contests are among nine home matches and 18 overall to be broadcast online through Stretch Internet.

The Night Hawks hit the road for three-straight non-conference matches in seven days, starting Sept. 8 at Truett-McConnell (Ga.) followed by dates at Reinhardt (Ga.) Sept. 10 and Mobile (Ala.) Sept. 15. Five of TU’s seven games in September are outside Thomasville.

Following a home match versus Middle Georgia State Sept. 18, Zambrano’s squad kicks off Sun Conference action with back-to-back road contests at Ave Maria (Fla.) on Sept. 23 and Webber International (Fla.) on Sept. 27.

The Night Hawks return home Sept. 30 against the Bobcats to begin a stretch where three of the next five opponents qualified for the 2016 national championship. Sandwiched in the slate are consecutive home matches against SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) on Oct. 11 and Warner (Fla.) on Oct. 14.

After the final non-conference tilt against Georgia Gwinnett, TU returns to Sun Conference action for the final three games of the regular season. After road trips to Johnson & Wales (Fla.) and Southeastern (Fla.) on Oct. 21 and Oct. 25, respectively, the Night Hawks welcome Florida Memorial Oct. 28. 

The Sun Conference tournament kicks off Nov. 4 with the quarterfinal round. The semifinals are set for Nov. 7 with the championship scheduled for Nov. 10. All tournament games take place on campus sites, with the highest remaining seed in each contest hosting each round. 

The first weekend of the NAIA national championship is Nov. 18 on campus sites to be determined. TU hosted a first-round game last season and defeated Georgia Gwinnett, 3-2. 

TU tied a school record with 15 wins in 2016 and has won 15 in three of the last four seasons. Zambrano’s program has amassed 59 wins since 2013.