Florida Atlantic University Athletics
2016 Women's Soccer Schedule Released
7/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Eleven home matches, including a visit from a national powerhouse, highlight the 2016 Florida Atlantic University women's soccer schedule, as released by the athletics department Tuesday. Five of the first seven matches will be held in Boca Raton with the other two also taking place in the Sunshine State.
"We are excited about the challenges that face us this fall - both in the non-conference and within Conference USA," FAU Head Coach Patrick Baker said. "We have a number of new teams in our non-conference section that haven't been on our schedule recently that our fans will enjoy seeing for the first time. Great competition for our team and we will definitely know who we are before conference play begins."
FAU's non-conference slate will see four familiar squads from the 2015 schedule - each of whom the Owls defeated a year ago. Overall, the Owls went 9-1-1 last year in the regular season against teams on this year's slate.
The Owls will open the 2016 campaign with a home match against Southern Utah on Friday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. FAU will then travel to Gainesville for a Sunday battle against the Florida Gators at 2 p.m. in the first of three battles against 2015 NCAA Tournament squads.
A home match against Jacksonville on Aug. 26 precedes a Sunday matchup featuring FAU against the 22-time national champion UNC Tar Heels - a perennial powerhouse from the ACC. That battle will mark the Tar Heels' first trip to Boca Raton. After wrapping up the home-stand against Stetson on Sept. 2, the Owls travel to Coral Gables for a meeting with another ACC foe, Miami, on Sept. 4. FAU won last year's match against the Hurricanes 3-1.
2015 NCAA Tournament participant Oakland comes to Boca Raton for a Thursday night matchup on Sept. 8 before FAU rounds out its non-conference slate with a road tilt at Southeast Missouri State and at home on Sept. 16 against St. Bonaventure.
"The 2016 Conference USA schedule will be the most challenging since arriving in the conference three years ago. Last year was the first time we enjoyed any level of success in Conference USA and the task now is to try to be better our positioning this year," Baker said. "We know the 10 conference games will be tough whether home or away - the team is excited and ready to start the 2016 campaign."
The 2016 Conference USA season kicks off with a home match against FIU on Sunday, Sept. 18 before the Owls set out on a four-match road haul at Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee, UAB and Southern Miss.
FAU then starts a three-match home-stand against Charlotte on Oct. 9 along with WKU and Marshall on Oct. 14 and 16, respectively.
After a single-match trip to UTEP on Oct. 23, FAU will round out the regular-season slate at home against Rice on Oct. 28.
The top eight teams will qualify for the 2016 Conference USA Tournament, held Nov. 2-6 in Charlotte, N.C. The NCAA tournament begins on Nov. 11 and the NCAA Final Four will conclude the year Dec. 2-4 in Cary, N.C.
FAU posted a 12-8-1 record in 2015 and qualified for its first Conference USA Tournament. The Owls will have three All-Conference honorees returning to the pitch, including First-Team defender Erica Burt and standout goalkeeper Sydney Drinkwater.
To purchase single-game or season tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or visit https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/fau/EN/buy/browse?i%5B0%5D=242.
