Story Links
July 9, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s soccer team announced its 2007 schedule, which includes 11 home games at Klockner Stadium. This season, the Cavaliers play 11 of their 18 games against teams that participated in last season’s NCAA Tournament. Six of those opponents reached at least the round of 16, including reigning National Champion North Carolina and College Cup participant Florida State.
“This schedule will challenge us from the first game to our last one, more than any other we have had,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “We will be tested in every game, whether it is in our non-conference games or our always difficult ACC matches. But we are excited about this challenge, since it is the only way we can reach our true potential as a team.”
In the non-conference, the Cavaliers will host perennial top 25 teams West Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona, in-state rivals William & Mary and Liberty, and regional foe Delaware. Virginia will also travel to the west coast to play in the Santa Clara adidas Classic to meet traditional powers Stanford and Santa Clara.
In ACC play, NCAA Tournament participants Florida State and Clemson, along with Miami, Virginia Tech, and Maryland will visit Charlottesville. The Cavaliers will visit four ACC teams that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament in North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College. Virginia will also travel to NC State.
In the preseason, the Cavaliers will play a pair of exhibition contests. Virginia will play NCAA runner-up Notre Dame on August 23 in Fort Wayne, Ind., before returning home and hosting annual power Connecticut at Klockner Stadium on August 26.
Last season, the Cavaliers had a 12-8-2 record and reached the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Eighteen players, including eight starters, return from that squad and are joined by one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.