Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer Announces 2010 Schedule
6/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
June 16, 2010
MILWAUKEE -
2010 Schedule (PDF) 
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Ten teams that competed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament highlight the Marquette women's soccer team's 2010 schedule announced Wednesday by head coach Markus Roeders.
"All of us are excited to face another tough schedule this fall," said Roeders. "Great competition brings the best out of our team and we won't face an easy game at home or on the road. In order to be one of the top teams in the country again, we have to measure ourselves against stiff competition and this schedule accomplishes that goal. We don't compare our team or others to what they have done in the past, but every indication is that our opponents have many returning players and that experience can lead to success. With Idaho State, New Mexico, San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, we have several first-time teams on the slate and that in itself is intriguing. The depth, experience and talent of our returners, blended with the background of the newcomers, we should be playing an attractive and successful style of soccer."
Marquette will play one exhibition contest during the middle of its preseason training camp at Valley Fields against Wisconsin on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The two teams have met each of the last three seasons in exhibition play.
"Wisconsin will be a good test during our pre-season training. The two teams enjoy battling each other, and although we will have been together for just a week, our expectation is a challenging match. Definitely the right game to prepare us for the regular season," said Roeders.
Following the conclusion of its preseason training camp, Marquette will split its opening weekend of the season against Idaho State at Valley Fields on Friday, Aug. 20, and at NCAA Tournament participant Ohio State on Sunday, Aug. 22.
"Starting out with a split weekend is good because we will see those scenarios throughout the fall. Opening at Valley Fields with Idaho State will be great for us and our fans, and then traveling to Ohio State who has a veteran squad and a contender for the Big Ten crown this fall will be an early challenge for us."
The Golden Eagles will return home to co-host the 11th annual MKE Cup, Aug. 27-29. Marquette will take on NCAA Tournament team Auburn Friday, Aug. 27 and close out Cup play against New Mexico, another first-time opponent, Sunday, Aug. 29.
"The field for the MKE Cup is among the strongest in years and both Auburn and New Mexico are high-caliber teams. The team that claims the Cup this year will have to earn it by playing great soccer. It will be a fantastic opening weekend for the Marquette community on campus to come out and support us in full force," said Roeders.
Marquette will hit the road to play in the Minnesota Tournament Sept. 3-5. There the Golden Eagles will play two teams they have never faced before in San Diego (Sept. 3) and UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 5). Both the Toreros and the Gauchos earned berths in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
"Playing in Minnesota will be an exciting homecoming for a few of our girls and the competition will be excellent. We haven't played San Diego and UC Santa Barbara in the past, but these are definitely matches we will embrace. California teams tend to play possession soccer much like us. These games should be highly entertaining."
Matches against cross-town foe UW-Milwaukee and at BYU will close out the non-conference portion of the Golden Eagles' schedule. MU will host the Panthers on Wednesday, Sept. 8, and travel to Provo, Utah to play BYU on Saturday, Sept. 11.
"Local fans should mark September 8 on their calendar as this annual match is always entertaining and hard fought. The two teams know each other well, and a match nobody should want to miss. Our return trip to BYU will be very tough. Just like us, they have a nationally ranked team every year and playing in Provo, Utah is a challenge. Their fans are into the match and for us to have success we will need to bring our 'A' game," said Roeders
Marquette begins its BIG EAST American Division Title defense at USF on Friday, Sept. 17. Six days later, the Golden Eagles host NCAA Tournament participant West Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 23 before opening a five-game BIG EAST Conference road trip on Sunday, Sept. 26 at Pittsburgh.
"The BIG EAST schedule is a marathon and most games are decided by one goal or less. We play a tough non-conference schedule to prepare us for league play and that has never been truer than this year. The first few games will set the tone for the BIG EAST slate."
The Golden Eagles' four additional road BIG EAST games include NCAA Tournament participant Villanova (Oct. 2), whom MU defeated, 1-0, in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals to punch its ticket to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals, Georgetown (Oct. 3), NCAA Tournament participant Connecticut (Oct. 8) and Providence (Oct. 10).
The Golden Eagles close out the regular BIG EAST season at Valley Fields against Cincinnati (Oct. 15), Louisville (Oct. 17), Syracuse (Oct. 22) and St. John's (Oct. 24).
"Our squad should expect to be hunted after winning the American Division crown last year. Four games on the road, Villanova, Georgetown, UConn and at Providence, will be key for the stretch run with four home matches. If we do our part and play our best soccer at the end of the year, our fans should be excited to see us at home in mid-October against Cincinnati, Louisville, Syracuse and St. John's," said Roeders.
The BIG EAST Tournament kicks off on Oct. 28 with first round play, followed by quarterfinal action on Sunday, Oct. 31. Rutgers will play host to the semifinals and final at Yurcak Field Nov. 5-7.
The Golden Eagles welcome back 23 letterwinners and five starters from a season ago that captured MU's first-ever BIG EAST American Division Championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 15-5-3 overall record, 7-2-2 in BIG EAST play.
Junior forward Rachael Sloan is the team's top returning scorer after leading Marquette with 19 points on seven goals and five assists followed by senior Lauren Thut and junior Lindsey Page who registered eight and five points, respectively in 2009. Overall, the Golden Eagles return 10 players who tallied at least a point in 2009. Junior goalkeeper Natalie Kulla also returns in net after a stellar sophomore season in which she registered a program-record 16 shutouts and a 0.50 goals against average.
The Golden Eagles had a successful spring tune-up that saw them achieve a 6-1-1 record with wins over Wisconsin, UW-Milwaukee, Purdue, Baylor, Nebraska and DePaul.
"For us to have a successful year, we need to build on our experience, integrate our newcomers quickly, stay healthy and get better every day. We played outstanding soccer this spring and that needs to translate to the fall for us to be an outstanding team that can go far into the fall. Our seniors are strong and have to contribute greatly. With their leadership, the blend and balance of the other classes, we should have the luxury to go deep into our bench. To reach our goals, it will be a marathon, one game at a time, and every match on our schedule will be a test," said Roeders.
