Crittenden Announces 2015 Soccer Schedule
6/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
2015 SFA Soccer Schedule
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin head women's soccer coach Wally Crittenden has announced his team's 2015 fall schedule. The Ladyjacks will battle through a tough non-conference slate before they begin their quest for a fifth consecutive Southland Conference regular season title when SLC play kicks off in mid-September.
The 2015 schedule features 11 away games to go along with seven home contests, all of which will be played at the SFA Soccer Field. SFA will face teams from the SEC, Big 10, Pac 12, Conference USA and Sun Belt in their first seven matches before playing all of the 11 other SLC opponents to close the regular season. Three of SFA's seven out-of-conference foes won a game in the NCAA Tournament in 2014.
"This is another great schedule for everyone that follows and supports Ladyjack soccer," said Crittenden."Our fans will get to see us match up against some great teams throughout the entire season.
"Regarding team development, when we schedule our non-conference opponents, we do so with the intent to create opportunities for our kids to prove themselves against good competition, home and away, in preparation for the grind of the Southland Conference schedule.There is no doubt in my mind that we will know a great deal about the competitive character and validate our optimum game management of our roster heading into our home conference opener against Northwestern State at the end of September. It is going to be a great season and one that I know everyone around the program will enjoy."
After the Purple and White scrimmage at SFA Soccer Field on August 8 and a trip to TCU for an exhibition match on August 12, the Ladyjacks will officially open the season with five non-conference games on the road, beginning with Arkansas on August 21. SFA dropped a 4-2 decision to the No. 25 Razorbacks last season on neutral turf.
Following the season opener, SFA will take on Minnesota from the Big 10 and Western Kentucky out of Conference USA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on August 28 and 30. The Ladyjacks will then head to Tempe, Arizona during the first weekend of September for Pac 12 action against Arizona State and Arizona. Both Arizona teams, along with Arkansas, advanced in the NCAA Tournament last year.
After the tough stretch away from home, SFA will open play in Nacogdoches against Louisiana-Monroe on September 11 to begin a stretch of five straight home contests. Texas State comes to town on September 13 to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule before SLC play begins against Northwestern State on September 18. SFA hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Houston Baptist to close the month.
The Ladyjacks will take to the road again in October as six of eight league matches are away from the friendly confines of SFA Soccer Field. SFA gets Nicholls State (Oct. 16) and Southeastern Louisiana (Oct. 18) at home to break up three-game road swings to begin and end the month. The final match of the year against 2014 SLC runner-up Sam Houston State in Huntsville (Oct. 30) could very well decide the conference champion.
The 2015 Southland Conference Tournament is set to take place in Conway, Arkansas from November 5-8 on the campus of Central Arkansas.
The Ladyjacks are coming off one of the best seasons in program history as Crittenden's squad cruised through conference play with an unblemished 11-0 mark. SFA won 13 straight games to close the regular season and ended the year with an overall record of 16-3-1.
Awards came in bunches for the Ladyjacks as Crittenden was named the 2014 SLC Coach of the Year, Zuri Prince was tabbed as the SLC Player of the Year, Hanna Barker earned top freshman honors and Christa Robinson picked up newcomer accolades to highlight the major conference awards. Six Ladyjacks found their way onto the All-Conference teams with four more earning honorable mention status.
SFA brings a good chunk of that talented team back in 2015 and will be the favorite to win an unprecedented fifth consecutive SLC crown when the season gets underway.
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