ROCKFORD, Ill. — Coming off a postseason appearance in 2025, the Rock Valley College men's soccer program has announced a challenging 20-game 2026 schedule that features opponents from five different NJCAA regions, providing the Golden Eagles with a diverse slate of competition through the fall. Rock Valley will face programs from regions 6, 10, 11, 13 and 24, including traditional region rivals from Region 4, returning non-region opponents, and several programs that qualified for national tournament play in recent years.

As the program turns its attention toward 2026, training camp officially opens August 1 as Rock Valley begins preparations for Garza's first season at the helm of the program. The Golden Eagles enter the season looking to build upon a 7-8-4 2025 campaign that was well-below their recent standard, Rock Valley were still able to qualify for the postseason, but fell in the first round of the Region Tournament in Cicero, Illinois to Morton for the second consecutive season.

Rock Valley opens exhibition play with scrimmages against Kishwaukee (Aug. 8) and McHenry County (Aug. 15) before beginning the regular season at home for the first time since 2022 against Patrick & Henry (Aug. 21) and Western Iowa Tech (Aug. 23). Patrick & Henry and Rock Valley drew 1-1 in their Indianapolis Showcase game a year ago, in two teams' first-ever meeting between the two.

The Golden Eagles will travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for the second-straight year for a pair of neutral-site matches in the Midwest South NJCAA Showcase, where they'll play Parkland (Aug. 28) and Allen County (Aug. 30).
Region 4 play begins September 2 with a road trip to Black Hawk. The Golden Eagles drew 2-2 draw in Rockford in 2025, but are 3-0-1 all-time record against the Braves since they first met in 2022.
The home region portion of the schedule opens Labor Day Weekend against Elgin (Sep. 4), marking the return of a familiar opponent that has not appeared on the Golden Eagles' schedule since 2024. The schools met eight times between 2016 and 2024 and have split the all-time series at 3-3-2.

Another longtime Region 4 opponent, Harper College (Sep. 23), also returns to the schedule for the first time since 2024. The late-September matchup will mark the 21st all-time meeting between the programs, making Harper one of Rock Valley's most frequently played opponents. Harper leads the all-time series 12-4-4.

College of DuPage (Sep. 9) visits Rock Valley in a matchup that has recently favored the Golden Eagles. Rock Valley owns a 5-1-1 all-time record against the Chaparrals and enters the season riding a four-match unbeaten streak in the series, including an unanswered three-goal outburst down a man in Glenn Ellyn.

September concludes with region contests against a pair of teams they are 6-1-0 combined since 2022. They will play Bryant & Stratton (Sep. 26) in Rockford and in a rare scheduling glitch, make back-to-back trips to Kankakee (Sep. 30).
The October schedule features several critical matches that could shape the Region 4 playoff picture. Road contests at Triton College (Oct. 3), Milwaukee Area Tech (Oct. 14), and Lake County (Oct. 21) are paired with home matches against Madison College (Oct. 7), Joliet (Oct. 10), and Waubonsee (Oct. 17).

Among those matchups, the annual meeting with Madison College, one of the premier rivalries on the schedule. The programs have met 23 times since 2014, more than any other opponent in Rock Valley men's soccer history.
Joliet remains another measuring stick within the region, with the Golden Eagles holding a 14-6-2 advantage in 22 all-time meetings. Meanwhile, Rock Valley enters its matchup with Milwaukee Area Technical College carrying a remarkable 17-match winning streak and an undefeated 17-0 record in the series.

One notable change to the 2026 schedule is the absence of Illinois Valley Community College. Despite the schools meeting 16 times (Rock Valley holds a 12-5-1 series record) since 2016, this will be the first time in a decade the Eagles will not appear on the Golden Eagles' schedule.

The Region 4 postseason begins October 29. The top 12 teams in the final standings will qualify for the tournament, while the top four seeds will earn first-round byes. Opening-round, quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be hosted by the higher seed. The Region 4 Championship match will be played November 7 at Madison College, with the winner receiving the region's automatic bid to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament's 12-team field.

With a veteran coaching staff, a challenging schedule, and another highly competitive Region 4 race ahead, the Golden Eagles will look to return to the postseason and make a deeper run toward a regional championship.

2026 ROCK VALLEY MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
SCRIMMAGES
August 8 – Kishwaukee College – 3:00 p.m.
August 15 – McHenry County College – 11:00 a.m.
REGULAR SEASON
August 21 – Patrick & Henry Community College – 3:00 p.m.
August 23 – Western Iowa Tech – 11:00 a.m.
August 28 – Parkland College (St. Louis, Mo.) – 8:00 p.m.
August 30 – Allen County Community College (St. Louis, Mo.) – 1:00 p.m.
September 2 – at Black Hawk College* – 4:00 p.m.
September 4 – Elgin Community College* – 11:00 a.m.
September 9 – College of DuPage* – 4:00 p.m.
September 12 – at South Suburban College* – 2:30 p.m.
September 19 – Dakota County Technical College – 12:00 p.m.
September 23 – Harper College* – 4:00 p.m.
September 26 – Bryant & Stratton College* – 12:00 p.m.
September 30 – at Kankakee Community College* – 2:00 p.m.
October 3 – at Triton College* – 5:30 p.m.
October 7 – Madison College* – 4:00 p.m.
October 10 – Joliet Junior College* – 12:00 p.m.
October 14 – at Milwaukee Area Technical College* – 2:00 p.m.
October 17 – Waubonsee Community College* – 2:00 p.m.
October 21 – at College of Lake County* – 2:00 p.m.
REGION 4 PLAYOFFS
October 29 – First Round
November 1 – Quarterfinals
November 4 – Semifinals
November 7 – Region 4 Championship (Madison College)
*Region 4 Match