Slate features nine home matches and two 2010 NCAA Tournament participants
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's soccer team and head coach Christian Michner have announced the 2011 playing schedule. The fall slate is highlighted by nine home games as well as matches against two 2010 NCAA Tournament participants and culminates with the Southern Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
"We've set ourselves up with a difficult and challenging non-conference schedule this fall," said Michner. "We want to schedule the best teams in the country to prepare ourselves and gauge our progress for the rigors of the Southern Conference."
The Cougars did just that with scheduled bouts against major-conference opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East and Southeastern Conference.
"We're really looking forward to our nine home contests," said Michner. "It's an incredible advantage to play in a facility like Patriots Point with the support we receive from our great fans."
After a preseason exhibition contest at Mercer on Saturday, Aug. 13, the Cougars will open the regular season against Charleston Southern at Patriots Point on Friday, Aug. 19. Michner earned his first ever head coaching win against the Buccaneers in last season's meeting between the squads.
The Cougars then take to the road to take on Kennesaw State on Friday, Aug. 26 when they'll look to avenge last year's 3-4 early-season loss. With a quick turnaround, CofC then returns home to host Winthrop on Sunday, Aug. 28 at Patriots Point.
CofC opens the tournament portion of its schedule with a trip to Tampa, Fla., where the Cougars will participate in the University of South Florida Tournament. The Cougars will challenge Murray State on Friday, Sept. 2 and Vanderbilt on Sunday, Sept. 4 as part of the tournament.
The Cougars will then return home to host their own tournament, the College of Charleston Cup, on the weekend of Friday, Sept. 9. The Cougars bring Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina and Cincinnati to town to compete at Patriots Point. CofC faces off against Cincinnati on Friday, Sept. 9 in a rematch of last season's contest and then faces ODU on Sunday, Sept. 11.
The Cougars then head to Durham, N.C., to challenge the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday, Sept. 15. Duke advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 20 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll.
CofC returns home to open the SoCon slate from the comforts of Patriots Point against Appalachian State on Friday, Sept. 23 and Western Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 25. The Cougars notched victories on the road against both teams last season by a combined 6-0 score.
"The SoCon schedule is always demanding," said Michner. "This year the race looks to be wide open with no easy games in sight."
CofC then embarks on a travel-rich weekend to play at Samford and Chattanooga, the two furthest-away schools in the SoCon. The Cougars will face off with Samford on Friday, Sept. 30 in Birmingham, Ala., and Chattanooga on Sunday, Oct. 2 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Following the long road trip, the Cougars return home for three straight highly touted matches which will undoubtedly heavily factor in the SoCon standings. The Cougars open the home stretch against Elon on Friday, Oct. 7 and will attempt to avenge the loss to the Phoenix which eliminated the Cougars from last year's SoCon Championships.
CofC then hosts 2010 SoCon champion UNC Greensboro on Sunday, Oct. 9. After claiming the SoCon title and participating in the NCAA tournament, the Spartans finished the 2010 season ranked No. 23 in the NSCAA rankings.
The Cougars conclude their home slate when they host Davidson on Thursday, Oct. 19 at Patriots Point.
CofC then concludes the regular season on a grueling four-game road stretch across Georgia and South Carolina.
"Playing the last four games on the road is going to be a tough contest for our team," said Michner. "We're going to need to be able to get some positive results away from home to position and prepare ourselves for the SoCon Championships."
The season-ending road stretch opens at Georgia Southern on Sunday, Oct. 16 where the Cougars will look to extend a four-match unbeaten streak against the Eagles.
The following weekend takes the Cougars to the Upstate for matches at Furman on Friday, Oct. 21 and Wofford on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Cougars then end the regular season at crosstown rival The Citadel on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Despite the challenges of ending the game with four straight road matches, the Cougars can be confident in the fact that they went 3-0-1 against the same teams to close last season.
The SoCon quarterfinals will be played on Sunday, Oct. 30 on the campuses of the top four seeds with the winners advancing to Greensboro, N.C., for the semifinals and finals on Friday, Nov. 4 and Sunday, Nov. 6.