U-M Announces 2007 Schedule
6/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Head coach Steve Burns of the University of Michigan mens soccer team announced the schedule for the 2007 season Monday (June 25). The team's eighth year of varsity play features a 21-game slate, including 10 games in Ann Arbor at Varsity Field. Michigans challenging schedule pits it against six squads that appeared in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
The six 2006 NCAA Tournament teams U-M will face include quarterfinalists Notre Dame and Northwestern, third-rounder Indiana, second-round squads St. Johns and Hofstra and first-round club Rutgers.
"The Big Ten is perennially one of the top two conferences in the country for men's soccer," said Burns about the challenging season. "As such, I believe in playing a difficult non-conference schedule as well. We want to play non-conference opponents that will prepare us to win Big Ten Championships. We want to play non-conference opponents that we may see in the NCAA tournament. These are the types of teams that challenge you to play at your best. This year's schedule is no exception."
Michigan kicks off the season with away exhibition matches against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo on Aug. 23, then against Pitt in Pittsburgh on Aug. 26.
The first regular season and home match takes place during the third Michigan/Oakland Challenge against an East Coast-based line up of Rutgers on Aug. 31 and Hofstra on Sept. 2.
Michigan will then travel west to face Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 7 and 9, respectively.
The Wolverines will host the third annual Michigan Invitational Sept. 14-16, where they will compete against Kentucky (Sept.14) and Florida International (Sept. 16). U-M will then host matches against Detroit on Sept. 21 and Wisconsin -- in Michigan's Big Ten opener -- on Sept. 23, before heading out to play Oakland on Sept. 26.
Michigan will host the 2006 Big Ten Conference Champion Indiana Hoosiers on the evening of Sept. 29, and then hit the road for three matches: at Notre Dame on Oct. 3, St. Johns on Oct. 10 and Michigan State on Oct. 14.
A trio of home contests -- against Bowling Green on Oct. 17, Northwestern Oct. 20 and Akron Oct. 24 -- closes out 2007 play at Varsity Field.
The regular season ends with a match against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 27, and against Penn State in Happy Valley, Pa., on Nov. 2.
The Big Ten Tournament takes place in East Lansing, Mich., Nov. 8-11. NCAA Tournament play starts on Nov. 23 at a yet-to-be-determined site and will culminate in the NCAA College Cup Finals in Dallas, Texas, on Dec.16.
Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423
