Ladyjacks Announce 2016 Soccer Schedule
5/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The 2016 fall schedule for the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team has been officially released, head coach Wally Crittenden announced on Friday afternoon. The Ladyjacks will take on six non-conference opponents to prepare for their 11-game Southland Conference slate, which begins in mid-September.
“I really like this year’s schedule,” Crittenden said. “To begin, we have nine home games which is great for our players and fans as we have a very special home environment. In Southland Conference play, we benefit from the schedule flip and will see six of our 11 league games at home with the last three here at home to finish up the season.
“In the non-conference portion of our schedule, we get to play some great teams to prepare us for league play and get to make another Pac-12 swing up to the Pacific Northwest the second weekend of the season to play Oregon State and Oregon. We also get to renew some great games against in-state rival teams that have great programs. I think it will be a schedule that will test our players while providing a variety in locations to play, with nine of those games at our favorite field – right here on campus at SFA.”
After the annual Purple and White Game on August 6 and another exhibition contest at Rice on August 12, the Ladyjacks officially open their 2016 schedule at home against Jackson State on August 19. The season opener is set to start at 7:00 p.m. from SFA Soccer Field.
SFA then heads to the Pacific Northwest for two games against Pac-12 foes Oregon State and Oregon. The Ducks and Beavers finished 10th and 11th, respectfully, in the Pac-12 last season. In 2014, SFA beat Oregon State 2-0 in the season opener behind goals from Hanna Barker and Jasmine White for the program’s first win over a Pac-12 school.
The Ladyjacks will start the long road trip by traveling to Corvallis, Oregon on Friday, August 26 to face Oregon State at 9:00 p.m. CT. SFA will then battle Oregon on Sunday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. CT in what will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Upon their return to Texas, the Ladyjacks are set to close the non-conference portion of their schedule against in-state opponents UTSA, Texas State and UTEP from September 4-11. UTSA and UTEP will come to Nacogdoches to bookend the weeklong stretch while SFA hits the road to play Texas State after the Bobcats came to SFA Soccer Field in 2015.
SFA starts SLC action in Natchitoches, Louisiana on September 16 against Northwestern State. The game kicks off a span of three-straight league contests away from home as the ‘Jacks travel to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on September 23 and Houston Baptist on September 25.
The first home game in conference play comes on Friday, September 30 when SFA hosts Lamar for a 7:00 p.m. test. The Ladyjacks then welcome McNeese and Central Arkansas to SFA Soccer Field to close a three-game homestand. The latter two teams took SFA to overtime in 2015.
SFA heads to Nicholls on October 14 and meets up with 2015 SLC Tournament Champion Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond on October 16, but then ends the regular season with a vital three-game stretch at home. Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word start the homestand with Sam Houston State closing things out on October 28 at 7:00 p.m. for SFA’s Senior Night.
The 2016 SLC Tournament will run from November 3-6 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“With the 2016 schedule in place, it is now up to our players to be the competitors they have proven themselves to be and prepare for August,” said Crittenden. “We have the deepest roster we have had in my time here and with the talent we have returning, the incoming players hungry to make a difference, and based on the indicators from competition this spring, it will be an exciting year for sure.”
-SFA-
