Hurricanes Announce 2009 Women's Soccer Schedule
March 26, 2009
CORAL GABLES – The University of Miami head women’s soccer coach Tricia Taliaferro has announced the 2009 schedule. The schedule features 10 teams that advanced to last season’s NCAA Tournament, three advanced to the Elite Eight and conference foe, North Carolina claimed the National Championship.
The 18-match scheduled features 10 home games, including the return of the Miami Tournament (Sept. 4-6). The Hurricanes will host Dayton, Navy and West Carolina, in the second-ever tournament hosted at Cobb Stadium. Western Carolina will be the first of 10 NCAA Tournament teams that Miami will face, in the first of two games for the `Canes in its own tournament. The second game will pit UM against Navy.
Prior to the Miami Tournament, the Orange and Green will open the season with two home matches against Ball State on Friday, August 28. Four days later, Florida Gulf Coast will visit Coral Gables on the first of September.
In their first action after the Miami Tournament, the Hurricanes will make a West Coast trip for the second straight season. This year they will visit the Pacific Northwest to participate in the Nike Portland Invitational in Oregon. On Friday, Sept. 11, Miami will face the Pac-10’s Washington Huskies, a team that advanced to the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.
The feature match of the invitational will be between the `Canes and host Portland on Sept. 13. Portland reached the Elite Eight of the 2008 College Cup, the first of four teams Miami will face this season that advanced at least that far in the tournament.
Miami will return to the friendly confines of Cobb Stadium for a tilt with Ole Miss of the SEC, a conference that sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament, on Friday, Sept. 18. In the final non-conference match of the season, the Hurricanes will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the Wolverines from the BIG TEN, a conference that sent three teams to the Sweet 16, on the 20th of September.
The first two Atlantic Coast Conference matches for Miami will be played in Coral Gables, as Boston College and Maryland will visit South Florida on Sept. 24 and 27 respectively. The Eagles of Boston College advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and will be the second of seven seeded teams that Miami will face in 2009.
The `Canes first road trip of the conference season will send them to Tallahassee, Fla. in the first game of October to face Florida State on the fourth. FSU was a 2007 national finalist and as a No. 2 seed last season, advanced to the quarterfinals of the College Cup.
Miami returns home to face Clemson on Oct. 9 before hitting the road for two games, to face two No. 3 seeds in last year’s tournament, in Duke and Wake Forest. Duke ended their 2008 season in the Elite Eight, while Wake advanced to the second round.
In its final home matches of the season, Miami will face NC State on Oct. 22 and then, the reigning NCAA Champion North Carolina Tar Heels.
The 19-time National Champions edged the Hurricanes by a 1-0 score twice last season in consecutive games. The first to end the regular season and the second in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. Both UNC goals came in the second-half of those games. The last time the Tar Heels visited Cobb Stadium in 2007, the `Canes delivered them a 1-0 defeat.
Miami closes out its regular season with two consecutive road matches against Virginia Tech and Virginia on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 respectively. Both teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 with Virginia advancing to the third round.
The ACC Tournament will be held at site yet to be determined, Nov. 4-8. With the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at campus sites, Nov. 13-15. The NCAA College Cup will be held on the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, Dec. 4-6.
With an incoming class of 10 student-athletes and veteran leadership, Miami is poised to earn their third-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament will its sights aimed for a deep run.
For ticket information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES or visit online at hurricanesports.com.
AUGUST: 28 vs. Ball State, 7:30 p.m.; SEPTEMBER: 1 vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 7:30 p.m.; 4 vs. Western Carolina!, 7:30 p.m.; 6 vs. Navy!, 3:30 p.m.; 11 vs. Washington@, 7:30 p.m.; 13 at Portland@, 5 p.m.; 18 vs. Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m.; 20 at Michigan, 2 p.m.; 24 vs. Boston College*, 7:30 p.m.; 27 vs. Maryland*, 1 p.m.; OCTOBER: 4 at Florida State*, 1 p.m.; 9 vs. Clemson*, 7:30 p.m.; 15 at Duke*, 7 p.m.; 18 at Wake Forest*, 1 p.m.; 22 vs. NC State*, 7:30 p.m.; 25 vs. North Carolina*, 1 p.m.; 30 at Virginia Tech*, 7 p.m.; NOVEMBER: 1 at Virginia*, 2 p.m.; 4-8 at ACC Tournament.
All time eastern and subject to change; All home matches played at Cobb Stadium* ACC match! Miami Tournament@ Nike Portland Invitational
