U of M Women’s Soccer announce fall schedule

In a year where it seems winter has no end and most Minnesotans are desperately waiting for spring and warm weather, there is one state resident who is already looking forward to fall. Mikki Denney Wright, head coach of the U of M women’s soccer team, has released the team’s fall schedule.

The teams first preseason game will be away against SEC runner-up Georgia on Friday, August 28, then travel to Kennesaw State on Sunday, August 30, for a battle with one of the Atlantic Sun’s top programs. The Owls have won 54 overall matches and two conference titles since joining the A-Sun in 2005.

Minnesota’s home opener on Friday, Sept. 4, against Tennessee is the first of three straight games at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Gophers will also take on North Dakota State on Sunday, Sept. 5, and South Dakota State on Tuesday, Sept. 8 before Minnesota returns to the road for a challenging weekend of away games at UW-Milwaukee and Marquette on Sept. 11 and 13, respectively. SDSU, UW-Milwaukee and Marquette all participated in last year’s NCAA Tournament, with the Gophers knocking Marquette and then SDSU out of the tournament to reach the “sweet sixteen”.

The Gophers’ lone home tournament, the Minnesota Gold Classic, will be held on Friday, Sept. 18, and Sunday, Sept. 20, with the Gophers slated to face Nevada and Montana, respectively.

Minnesota makes its Big Ten debut at home on Thursday, Sept. 24, against Iowa. Conference road games at fellow NCAA “sweet sixteen” participant Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 27, and Wisconsin on Thursday, Oct. 1, follow. The Gophers’ final non-conference game of the regular season against South Dakota takes place on Sunday, Oct. 4, before the Maroon and Gold close out the year with seven consecutive league tilts.
Four of those matches will take place at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium, including back-to-back matchups with Penn State and Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 16, and Sunday, Oct. 18. Northwestern visits on Friday, Oct. 30, before the Gophers close out the regular season at home vs. Indiana on Friday, Nov. 6.

For the first time since its inception in 1994, the Big Ten will not conduct its annual postseason tournament. Instead, the league’s regular season standings will be used to determine the conference’s automatic NCAA berth. The NCAA Tournament is slated to begin the weekend of Nov. 13-15 with first- and second-round games.

2009 Minnesota Women’s Soccer Schedule
Date       Opponent            Time*
Aug. 28    at Georgia          7:00 p.m.
Aug. 30    at Kennesaw State   1:00 p.m.
Sept. 4    Tennessee           7:00 p.m.
Sept. 6    North Dakota State  2:00 p.m.
Sept. 8    South Dakota State  6:00 p.m.
Sept. 11   at UW-Milwaukee     7:00 p.m.
Sept. 13   at Marquette        1:00 p.m.
Sept. 18   Nevada              7:00 p.m.
Sept. 20   Montana             1:00 p.m.
Sept. 24   Iowa                7:00 p.m.
Sept. 27   at Illinois         1:00 p.m.
Oct. 1     at Wisconsin        7:00 p.m.
Oct. 4     South Dakota        1:00 p.m.
Oct. 11    at Purdue           1:00 p.m.
Oct. 16    Penn State          7:00 p.m.
Oct. 18    Ohio State          1:00 p.m.
Oct. 23    at Michigan         7:00 p.m.
Oct. 25    at Michigan State  12:00 p.m.
Oct. 30    Northwestern        7:00 p.m.
Nov. 6     Indiana             7:00 p.m.
Nov. 13-15 NCAA 1st/2nd Rounds
Nov. 20-22 NCAA Sweet 16
Nov. 27-29 NCAA Elite 8
Dec. 4-6   NCAA College Cup
* All times local to site