TicketsMay 8, 2007
CINCINNATI--The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will take on five 2006 NCAA participants this fall when the Bearcats open defense of their 2006 BIG EAST Red Division championship.
UC, which finished 11-6-2 last season, won the school's first BIG EAST team title in any sport and made its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2007 Bearcats will face a challenging non-conference slate and the unbalanced BIG EAST schedule has UC making six road trips and hosting five conference rivals.
UC kicks things off with a pair of exhibition matches against Butler at Gettler Stadium and at Wake Forest, an NCAA semifinalist in 2006.
Four of UC's first five matches are on the road against quality opponents. The season opener is set for Aug. 31 at Loyola-Chicago, the 2006 Horizon League Champions. A trip to the New Mexico Invitational to take on Central Florida and NCAA participant New Mexico follows during the first weekend in September.
After the annual crosstown rivalry match against Xavier - the 2007 version will be played at Gettler Stadium - UC will hit the road again to take on Bradley. The Braves were mere seconds away from a Missouri Valley Conference championship and NCAA berth last season.
"This is a difficult and balanced non-conference schedule," head coach Hylton Dayes said. "Playing quality opponents on the road will hopefully prepare our young team for success in the BIG EAST."
The BIG EAST portion of the schedule is highlighted by home matches against Georgetown and Seton Hall, the first meetings between UC and the two storied BIG EAST institutions.
The yearly UC-Louisville rivalry will be renewed at Cardinal Park on Oct. 17, setting the stage for a meeting with perennial power and 2006 BIG EAST Tournament champion St. John's at Gettler Stadium on Oct. 20. The regular season wraps up with a trip to NCAA at-large selection Rutgers on Nov. 3.
The 2007 BIG EAST Tournament semifinals and finals will be held at the University of South Florida Soccer Stadium on Nov. 16 and 18.