ORONO – The University of Maine men’s soccer team will play two Atlantic Coast Conference teams this season and will also travel to California for a pair of games against Big West opponents Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State-Fullerton.

The ACC opponents will be Boston College at Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Aug. 27 and North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 4.

The Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State-Fullerton games will be on Sept. 15 and 17, respectively.

North Carolina State was nationally ranked last season and lost to Clemson 3-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack was ranked 18th entering the tournament and wound up 11-7-1.

The Black Bears’ other nonleague games are against UMass, Northeastern, Holy Cross, Harvard, and Sacred Heart.

Maine opens at UMass on Aug. 25, its home opener will be against Northeastern on Aug. 29, and its America East opener will be at home against Binghamton on Sept. 23.

Travers Evans’ Bears, who went 2-11-2 last season, return five starters and will add eight freshmen and three transfers.

“We are really excited about next year’s schedule,” said Evans in a press release. “I believe it is the most competitive schedule in the history of the men’s soccer program. The quality of our non-conference schedule should prepare us for the rigors of the always competitive America East.”

2006 MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE

August

25 – at Massachusetts, 5 p.m.

27 – at Boston College, 2 p.m.

29 – Northeastern, 3 p.m.

September

2 – at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.

5 – Harvard, 3 p.m.

9 – at Sacred Heart, noon

15 – at Cal Poly Pomona, 7 p.m.

17 – at Cal State-Fullerton, 2 p.m.

23 – Binghamton, noon

27 – at Hartford, 6 p.m.

30 – at New Hampshire, 1 p.m.

October

4 – at North Carolina State, 2 p.m.

7 – Maryland Baltimore County, 1 p.m.

11 – Albany, 3 p.m.

14 – at Vermont, 1 p.m.

18 – at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.

21 – Boston University, 11 a.m.

27 – America East first round

29 – America East semifinals

November

5 – America East championship game