ELON, N.C. ? Home dates with defending national champion Wake Forest and national power Duke highlight the 2008 Elon Phoenix men’s soccer slate as announced by head coach Darren Powell on Wednesday.

The 18-game schedule features nine home matches, including two in the first-ever Elon University Classic ? a four-team tournament which will be held at Rudd Field on Sept. 12 and 14, and four games against 2007 NCAA College Cup participants.

“We are extremely excited to have put together another top-notch schedule,” said Powell. “We are looking forward to starting the season in August and challenging our team in each and every game. We anticipate the race for the SoCon championship to be an extremely hard-fought race.”

The 2008 season will kick off on Aug. 29 as the Phoenix visits Triad rival High Point for a 7 p.m. contest. Elon will then participate in the UNCG Classic, squaring off with Old Dominion at 5 p.m. on Sept. 5 and with Winthrop at noon on Sept. 7 from UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro. Old Dominion advanced to the third round of the NCAA College Cup in 2007.

The Elon University Classic will mark the first appearance at home for Powell’s squad in 2008. On Sept. 12, Elon will battle UNC Asheville at 7:30 p.m. That match follows a contest between UNC Greensboro and East Tennessee State, which will begin at 5 p.m. On Sept. 14, the Phoenix will take on ETSU at 3:30 p.m., following UNCG’s tilt with UNC Asheville at 1 p.m.

Southern Conference play will begin on Sept. 17 as Wofford visits Rudd Field for a 7 p.m. match. After hosting William & Mary on Sept. 20, the Phoenix hits the road for games at North Carolina (Sept. 24) and Charlotte (Sept. 27).

The first of two matches to be held in Rhodes Stadium will take place on Oct. 1 as defending national champ Wake Forest comes to town for a 7 p.m. start. After making SoCon visits to Georgia Southern (Oct. 4) and Appalachian State (Oct. 7), Elon comes home to tackle College of Charleston on Oct. 11 in a league match.

A trip to Davidson follows on Oct. 15 before Elon hosts its annual match to benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research on Oct. 21 at Rhodes Stadium. The 7 p.m. game will see the Phoenix play host to the Duke Blue Devils, a 2007 College Cup squad. This will be the fifth consecutive season that Elon has hosted a match as a fundraiser for The V Foundation.

Elon’s final road game of the year will be on Oct. 25 at UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. The Phoenix returns home for its final two regular season tussles of the 2008 season by hosting Furman, another NCAA College Cup participant, on Oct. 28 and Radford on Nov. 1.

The 2008 Southern Conference Championship begins on Nov. 8 with quarterfinal action on the home fields of the higher seeds. The semifinals and finals will be held on Nov. 14 and 16 at Davidson.

2008 Elon Phoenix Men’s Soccer Schedule
Aug. 29 ? at High Point ? 7 p.m.
Sept. 5 ? vs. Old Dominion (UNCG Classic) ? 5 p.m.
Sept. 7 ? vs. Winthrop (UNCG Classic) ? Noon
Sept. 12 ? UNC Asheville (Elon University Classic) ? 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 ? East Tennessee State (Elon University Classic) ? 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 ? Wofford* ? 7 p.m.
Sept. 20 ? William & Mary ? 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 ? at North Carolina ? 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 ? at Charlotte ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 ? Wake Forest^ ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 ? at Georgia Southern* ? 1 p.m.
Oct. 7 ? at Appalachian State* ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 ? College of Charleston* ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 15 ? at Davidson* ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 ? Duke^$ ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 ? at UNC Greensboro* ? 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 ? Furman* ? 7 p.m.
Nov. 1 ? Radford ? 7 p.m.
Nov. 8 ? SoCon Championship Quarterfinals ? Higher Seed ? TBA
Nov. 14 ? SoCon Championship Semifinals ? Davidson, N.C. ? TBA
Nov. 16 ? SoCon Championship Finals ? Davidson, N.C. ? TBA

* ? Denotes Southern Conference game
^ ? Denotes Rhodes Stadium game
$ ? Denotes match to benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research