SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara University men's soccer, a program that has enjoyed 23 winning seasons in 25 years, is back on the field and has announced its six-game 2012 spring schedule.

The spring slate includes three home games at Buck Shaw Stadium on the Mission Campus, highlighted by an end of the year match with the reserve side from the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS Wednesday, May 30. Santa Clara will also play some of the area's top collegiate games, opening the spring schedule at San Jose State on Friday, April 20 and traveling to Stanford University on Wednesday, May 23.

The team will be practicing five to six times a week during the spring quarter under the direction of 10th-year head coach Cameron Rast. SCU posted the best regular season of any team in the West Coast Conference last season (11-5-4) and was ranked as high as No. 18 nationally.

"The spring season is an important time for development in determining what we can accomplish next season," said Rast. "This will especially true this year.  We have a talented group returning but there will be some new guys that will have to step in and contribute.  In putting the schedule together it became important to test the group.  Our games with UC Davis, SJSU, Stanford and the Earthquakes will do just that."   
 
Returners Murphy Campbell, Erik Hurtado, Larry Jackson, Wesley Culver and Glenn Vass all garnered recognition among the top players in the WCC. They should be complemented nicely by the addition of SCU's nationally-ranked incoming recruiting class for 2012.
 
2012 SANTA CLARA MEN'S SOCCER SPRING SCHEDULE
April
FRI 20 - @ San Jose State (7 p.m.)
SUN 29 - vs. SAN FRANCISCO STATE/ALUMNI (11 a.m./1 p.m.)
MON 30 - SCU Men's Soccer Golf Tournament 12 noon
May
SAT 5 – @ UC Davis (11 a.m.)
MON 21 – SUNDERLAND 18's (7 p.m.)
WED - 23 @ Stanford (7 p.m.)
WED 30 - SJ EARTHQUAKES Reserves - CANCELED
THU 31 - NPSL's Bay Area Ambassadors (7 p.m.)