July 22, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - An early test awaits the UCF men's 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 it's 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.
A taste of the Big Ten is 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 year's 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. 17 (moved from 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 year's foe for senior day on Nov. 1. 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 regular-season 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 UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
2008 UCF Men's Soccer ScheduleAug. 15 - Rollins - 7 p.m. (Exhibition)Aug. 19 - St. Leo - 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. 8 - Florida International* - 7 p.m.Oct. 11 - UAB* - 7 p.m.Oct. 14 - USF - 7 p.m.Oct. 17 - at Tulsa* - 9:30 p.m. (originally Oct. 18)Oct. 22 - at Kentucky* - 7 p.m.Oct. 25 - SMU* - 7 p.m.Nov. 1 - 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 ClassicAll times Eastern and are subject to change