| Steve Ballard |
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA head soccer coach Steve Ballard announced Tuesday the program’s 2009 schedule, which is highlighted by nine home matches and a full nine-match slate of Southland Conference action.
“Once again, we have done a great job in scheduling good opponents for the upcoming season,” Ballard said. “This is going to be a true test for our players because our first five matches are on the road and against Big 12 and Conference USA opponents. Our non-conference season will help us be prepared to make a run at a conference championship.”
The non-conference schedule features three teams from the Big 12 Conference (Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) and three from Conference USA (Houston, Rice and SMU). The Roadrunners also will square off against a pair of 2008 NCAA College Cup qualifiers in Texas A&M and Texas State.
UTSA kicks off its fourth season with a season-high five-match road trip beginning at Texas Tech on Aug. 21 and Houston two days later. The Roadrunners return to the road for a pair of contests at TCU (Aug. 28) and Texas A&M (Aug. 30) before concluding at Houston Baptist on Sept. 4.
The Roadrunners' next four matches will be in San Antonio beginning with their home opening weekend against Utah State on Sept. 11 and Rice on Sept. 13. UTSA ends its four-match home stand versus SMU (Sept. 18) and Baylor (Sept. 20).
UTSA hits the road for three of its next four matches, including the start of SLC play at Northwestern State and Central Arkansas the weekend of Oct. 2-4. UTSA returns to the Alamo City for a pair of matches against McNeese State (Oct .9) and Lamar (Oct. 11) and the final five contests have the Roadrunners hitting the road three times including their regular season finale at I-35 rival Texas State on Oct. 30.
The SLC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 5-8 in Natchitoches, La.