Mens Soccer Looks Forward to Entertaining Schedule in 2008
Knights kick off the upcoming season in Columbus, Ohio, with the home
opener slated for Sept. 20.
7/22/08
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) An early test awaits the UCF
mens soccer team this year as the program released its 2008 schedule
Tuesday. The Knights will face five teams that advanced to the NCAA
Tournament a year ago, including College Cup runner-up Ohio State Aug.
31 in Columbus.
We are looking forward to another tough non-conference schedule that
will prepare us for the rigors of Conference USA, which will be
extremely competitive this year, said head coach Bryan Cunningham, who
enters his second year at the helm of the UCF program. We are very
fortunate to go to Columbus and play Penn State and Ohio State to open
the season. We want to let the incoming players know right away that
this sets the stage for the type of opponents we will face all season
long, and its always good to play teams that are outside of your region
as well.
In all, 2008 opponents combined for a 182-155-39 record and a 53.6
winning percentage last season. Among non-conference foes, UCF will meet
up with nine teams that went 103-62-23 with a 60.9 winning percentage in
2007.
Before the challenging year begins, UCF welcomes Rollins (Aug. 15) and
College of Charleston (Aug. 23) to town for a pair of home exhibition
matches.
A taste of the Big Ten is then lined up for the Knights right out of the
gate. Cunningham and his squad travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Bert &
Iris Wolstein Classic where they square off against Penn State in the
season-opener Sept. 29 and Ohio State Aug. 31. The Buckeyes reached the
finals of the 2007 NCAA College Cup before suffering a 2-1 loss to Wake
Forest.
After heading up the road to DeLand for a Sept. 7 showdown at Stetson,
the Black and Gold visit Norfolk, Va., to take on William & Mary and Old
Dominion at the STIHL Soccer Classic Sept. 12 and 14, respectively. ODU
is fresh off a third-round showing in last years postseason.
The Conference USA and home season get underway Sept. 20 against
Memphis, while four days later North Florida comes to Orlando. Following
a trip to North Carolina for a Sept. 30 match-up at Charlotte, the
Knights visit Marshall on Oct. 4.
The longest homestand of the year is set for Oct. 8-14, where UCF hosts
Florida International (Oct. 8), UAB (Oct. 11) and USF (Oct. 14). The
Bulls of South Florida reached the third round of the 2007 NCAA
Tournament and finished with a 14-6-2 record.
Waiting for UCF will be two more NCAA postseason teams in October. The
Knights first head to C-USA regular-season and tournament champion Tulsa
Oct. 18 before playing Kentucky in Lexington Oct. 22. To complete the
home schedule, NCAA second-round member SMU invades UCF Oct. 25 and
Florida Atlantic will be this years foe for senior day on Nov. 3. A
quick journey to South Carolina Nov. 7 wraps up the regular season.
The C-USA Championships are on the menu Nov. 12-16, with SMU serving as
the host institution this season.
All home matches at the UCF Soccer Complex are free and start at 7 p.m.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com the
official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains
ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of
UCFs new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the
exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
2008 UCF Mens Soccer Schedule
Aug. 15 Rollins 7 p.m. (Exhibition)
Aug. 23 College of Charleston 11 a.m. (Exhibition)
Aug. 29 vs. Penn State# 5 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Ohio State# 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 7 at Stetson 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 vs. William & Mary$ 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 at Old Dominion$ 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Memphis* 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 North Florida 7 p.m.
Sept. 30 at Charlotte 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Marshall* - 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 Florida International* - 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 UAB* - 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 USF 7 p.m.
Oct. 18 at Tulsa* 8 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Kentucky* 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 SMU* 7 p.m.
Nov. 3 Florida Atlantic 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 at South Carolina* - 7 p.m.
Nov. 12-16 at C-USA Championships (Dallas)
* - Conference USA Match
# - Ohio State Bert & Iris Wolstein Classic
$ - Old Dominion STIHL Soccer Classic
All times Eastern and are subject to change
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