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Zags Face Challenging Schedule in 2008
June 27, 2008
Complete 2008 Women's Soccer Schedule
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University's 2008 women's soccer schedule features five matches against teams that made a 2007 NCAA Tournament appearance and a total of 10 home matches that will be played at the new Gonzaga Soccer Stadium, according to the schedule announced Wednesday by head coach Shannon Stiles. A Bulldog squad that returns two All-West Coast Conference selections from a year ago will face University of Denver, University of Colorado, Santa Clara University, University of San Diego, and University of Portland who all participated in last season's NCAA Tournament. "We are very excited about this year's schedule. We will be playing some opponents for the first time and we will also get to play 10 games in our brand new Stadium," Stiles said. "Playing some teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament as well as some teams that finished well in the highly competitive Big Sky and Pacific-10 conferences last season will prepare for us for WCC play later in the year." The Zags open the season Aug. 22 on the road against a tough Long Beach State University squad that finished second in the Big West Conference a year ago. The Bulldogs will then play five of their next six matches at home, beginning with the inaugural match in the new Gonzaga Soccer Stadium Aug. 24 against Portland State University. Following a match at the University of Idaho on Aug. 29, the team begins a four-game home stand, squaring off against the University of Washington on the last day of August. The longest stretch of home matches runs through the first two weeks of September and will see the Bulldogs host Cal State Bakersfield, University of Montana and the University of Wyoming before the team heads out on the road for their next three. Two 2007 College Cup participants, Denver and Colorado, await the Zags at the Colorado Soccer Classic hosted by Colorado in Boulder, Colo. Sept. 19-21. The Bulldogs match-up with a tough Denver squad Sept. 19 and then squares off with the veteran Buffaloes that advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga will wrap up their non-conference schedule with three of the next four matches on the road. A trip to Pullman to face Pac-10 member Washington State University Sept. 26 is followed by a home match against Eastern Washington University Sept. 28. The non-conference season comes to a close with a road swing to Idaho State University and Weber State University. Weber State finished tied for second in the Big Sky Conference and will provide one final test for the Bulldogs prior to the start of West Coast Conference play. Three home matches ease Gonzaga into WCC play, starting against the defending conference champion and elite eight participant Portland Oct. 12. The Bulldogs then face Pepperdine University Oct. 17 and close out the home stand two days later against Loyola Marymount University. Three of the final four matches are on the road as the Zags make stops at Saint Mary's College Oct. 24 and the University of San Francisco Oct. 26 prior to closing their home schedule against San Diego on Halloween. The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season at Santa Clara Nov. 8. Gonzaga produced a 12-7-1 record in 2007, equaling the school record for wins set by the 2005 team, and recording a fifth consecutive 10-win season.
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