TicketsMay 10, 2007
CINCINNATI--A steadily improving University of Cincinnati women's soccer team play host to four regional rivals and take the pitch against eight 2006 NCAA participants during the 2007 season.
"Our 2007 non-conference schedule will test us," said head coach Meridy Glenn. "We'll see teams with different styles and we will be able to use that as a barometer for the BIG EAST season."
The Bearcats posted a four-win improvement in 2006, the squad's second season in the loaded BIG EAST Conference. UC, which finished 7-9-2, also improved its league win total by two and missed out on the BIG EAST Tournament by one game.
The 2007 schedule presents plenty of challenges as road matches against NCAA qualifiers Michigan, Oakland, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Villanova dot the landscape. UC will play host to crosstown foe Xavier in the season opener on Aug. 31. Regional rivals Miami (Ohio), Dayton, and BIG EAST foe Louisville all visit Gettler Stadium in September.
Other non-conference highlights include road matches against in-state foes Wright State and Cleveland State.
The BIG EAST portion of the schedule begins with the Louisville rivalry on Sept. 21 and is highlighted by a trip to national runner-up Notre Dame. A difficult stretch awaits the Bearcats beginning with the Notre Dame match, followed by a weekend road trip to Pittsburgh and West Virgnina. A four-match homestand in October features matches against NCAA teams Rutgers and Marquette, while the regular season finale is at Villanova, another NCAA squad.
The BIG EAST Tournament gets underway on Nov. 1 and continues with quarterfinals on campus sites on Nov. 4. The semifinals and final will take place on Nov. 9 and Nov. 11, respectively, at West Virginia's Dick Dlesk Stadium.
"The BIG EAST schedule has some great home games," Glenn continued. We've got eight NCAA teams, but you never know who is going to be the next NCAA team. Hopefully, it will be us."