July 18, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
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2011 UCF W Soccer Schedule in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the UCF women's soccer team will face a challenging schedule that includes some of the nation's premier squads in 2011. The Knights, who announced their schedule Monday, will play five teams that participated in the postseason last year.
The campaign will serve as UCF's first at the expanded UCF Soccer Complex, which now has seating for 2,365 fans. Head coach Amanda Cromwell's team will play nine matches at home, starting with the Aug. 13 season-opener against visiting Texas A&M, followed by the regular-season opener versus cross-state rival USF at home.
Season tickets are currently available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. The Gold Pass, which offers season tickets to men's and women's soccer, volleyball, track & field and softball, is also available for only $75.
"We are very excited about our 2011 fall schedule especially since we now have an expanded stadium to call our home," Cromwell said. "To officially open our stadium with a quality team like Texas A&M is a treat for our fans. We also have in-state rivals USF, Jacksonville, and Florida Gulf Coast and ACC tournament champion Wake Forest to help us draw in big crowds at home. Our away schedule is tough as we have back to back trips to San Diego and Virginia. Going back to my alma mater will be a very fun experience even though we are not playing UVA in the tournament. As always, the C-USA schedule is tough and a long haul but we feel confident about defending our back to back title as C-USA champions."
UCF went 15-5-3 overall in 2010 and claimed the Conference USA regular season title. The Knights will be tested in the preseason with an exhibition contest at home Aug. 13 against 2010 NCAA Tournament participant and Big 12 champion Texas A&M.
USF is one of four squads on the Knights' non-league slate that appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2010, along with Wake Forest, San Diego and Penn State.
Two days after hosting the Bulls, UCF will welcome Wake Forest to the UCF Soccer Complex. The Demon Deacons claimed the ACC crown last year and finished the season ranked 25th nationally.
After a long break, UCF will head to California to meet San Diego State on Sept. 2 and San Diego on Sept. 4. The Knights will then compete at the Nike Soccer Classic in Charlottesville, Va., facing Penn State on Sept. 9 and Washington State on Sept. 11. Penn State won the Big 10 championship in 2010, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The event in Charlottesville will serve as a homecoming for Cromwell, who earned All-America honors at Virginia in the 1990s.
UCF concludes its non-league schedule at home with contests against Jacksonville (Sept. 16) and Florida Gulf Coast (Sept. 18) before opening C-USA play at SMU on Sept. 23.
The Knights will play four league games in Orlando, including a showdown with defending C-USA tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant Memphis on Oct. 23. UCF's home league opener is Sept. 30 versus UTEP.
UCF will conclude the regular season on Oct. 28 at Southern Miss, and then direct its attention to the C-USA Championship, which will be held in Memphis Nov. 2-6.