Ahead of the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League season, the Orlando Pride will face three of college soccer’s stiffest opponents from the 2017 season, the team announced Feb. 12.

Orlando will open its preseason on Sunday with medical evaluations and will promptly begin its preseason friendlies just 10 days after.

The Pride will first host Florida State University on Feb. 28; then, Orlando will visit the University of Central Florida in a closed-door friendly on March 3; lastly, Orlando concludes its preseason schedule with a trip down I-4 to the University of South Florida on March 8.

Orlando’s matchups with FSU and USF will be open to the public, as the Pride’s first-ever matchup with the local Knights will be closed. Admission to the FSU friendly will be free, as fans will need to purchase tickets for the USF meeting.

In 2017, all three of the Pride’s preseason foes made it to the NCAA tournament. UCF, which finished the season ranked 10th in the nation with an undefeated American Athletic Conference record, had, perhaps, the most disappointing showing after a first-round elimination at the hands of Washington State University.

USF advanced to the second round after a 3-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast University but then fell to the Florida Gators 1-0. FSU posted two shutouts in the first two rounds of the tournament before being silenced by the eventual champions, the Stanford Cardinal.

Orlando Pride 2018 Preseason Schedule

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28
Orlando Pride vs. Florida State Seminoles, 6 p.m. at Seminole Soccer Complex

SATURDAY, March 3
Orlando Pride at UCF Knights, TBD at UCF Soccer Complex (closed-door)

THURSDAY, March 8
Orlando Pride at USF Bulls, 7 p.m. at Corbett Soccer Complex

For more on the Pride, as they begin preparations for the 2018 campaign, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.