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The Cleveland State Vikings are the 23rd team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the first independent team. The Vikings went 5-9 in their first year as a Division I program, but went 1-9 against other Division I teams.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Cleveland State’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 1/27 | Marquette/Wittenberg (D3) | Cleveland State | Scrimmages | |
| 2/3 | Ohio State | Cleveland State | 12-4 L | |
| 2/10 | Cleveland State | Michigan | 13-8 L | |
| 2/13 | Mercer | Cleveland State | First ever meeting | |
| 2/17 | Cleveland State | Bellarmine | First regular season meeting | |
| 2/23 | Cleveland State | Air Force | In Denver, Colorado (at Peter Barton Stadium) | 16-2 L |
| 2/25 | Cleveland State | Denver | 19-6 L | |
| 3/3 | Cleveland State | Canisius | 17-7 L | |
| 3/13 | Lafayette | Cleveland State | First ever meeting | |
| 3/18 | Duke | Cleveland State | 22-7 L | |
| 3/24 | Cleveland State | Penn State | 15-8 L | |
| 4/7 | Hampton | Cleveland State | First ever meeting | |
| 4/14 | Cleveland State | Robert Morris | First ever meeting | |
| 4/21 | Sacred Heart | Cleveland State | 18-9 L | |
| 4/28 | Cleveland State | Detroit Mercy | 13-6 W |
The biggest change is replacing Division II and III schools with other Division I teams, making it a full D1 schedule. New to the regular season schedule this year are Mercer, Bellarmine, Lafayette, Hampton, and Robert Morris.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Game: vs. Mercer
Since they’re an independent, we’ll make it the best game out of the entire schedule. I can see the Vikings making a game out of Mercer and possibly coming out on top. Cleveland State always put up a good fight in many of their games last year, especially against some very good teams. With a year under their belt, the Vikings should get more competitive.
Under The Radar Game: @ Penn State
This might have been CSU’s best game last season before they beat Detroit Mercy in the season finale. They cut Penn State’s lead to two goals with 11:01 left in the third quarter before the Nittany Lions started to pull away. I would pay some attention to this game.
Possible Upset: @ Bellarmine
You have to be realistic when considering upsets for a second-year team. They’ll get beaten up this year, but they should have some pretty good games. Bellarmine should compete to get in the SoCon, and they’ve always been a middle-of-the-road team. I see this game as a great test to see where the Vikings are at in their development.