June 16, 2009
Complete Schedule in PDF Format 
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University's men's soccer team will face another stern test as head coach Einar Thorarinsson announced the Bulldogs 2009 schedule Tuesday.
The slate includes four non-conference home matches beginning with the season opener Sept. 1 against Trinity Western University of Langley, British Columbia. Unlike past seasons, this match will not be an exhibition contest and will count on the Bulldogs regular-season record. The Spartans have appeared in four straight CIS men's soccer championships, finishing second in 2008.
Gonzaga will take to the road Sept. 4-6 to compete in the Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic hosted by Ohio State University. Gonzaga will open against the host Buckeyes and play Penn State University the second day. OSU advanced to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship second round in 2008 after being in the title game of the College Cup in 2007.
The Bulldogs will host the Gonzaga/Nike Soccer Classic Sept. 11-13. Oregon State University, which will play the Bulldogs at Gonzaga Soccer Field Sept. 8, will face the University of Detroit Mercy in Friday's opening match, with Gonzaga taking on Georgia Southern University in the nightcap. OSU and GSU will meet in Sunday's first match with the Bulldogs and Detroit Mercy concluding the tournament.
The final regular-season tournament on the schedule is Sept. 18-20 when the Bulldogs travel to Albuquerque, NM, to compete in the Nike/TLC Plumbing and Utilities Invitational hosted by the University of New Mexico. Gonzaga will face Binghamton, NY, University in the opener and take on the host Lobos on Sunday. Binghamton lost in the America East Tournament title game a year ago while the Lobos finished second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings. Both teams narrowly missed bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga opens West Coast Conference play on the road with matches at Saint Mary's College and Santa Clara University Oct. 2-4. The Bulldogs make their WCC home debut Oct. 9-11 when Loyola Marymount University and the University of San Diego visit 2-year-old Gonzaga Soccer Field, respectively. The Bulldogs conclude WCC play Nov. 13 at home against defending champion University of San Francisco.
The Bulldogs went 9-8-2 overall a year ago, 6-5-1 for 19 points and tied with USD for second place in the WCC as the Dons went 7-4-1 for 22 points and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
"This will be another challenging schedule," head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "The trip to Columbus will give us an early-season indication where we stand as we play two Big Ten Conference schools. Matches like that will help prepare us for what is always a tough conference schedule."
Gonzaga has played just one Big Ten school in its history, defeating Michigan State University 1-0 in 2000 at the Loyola Marymount University Tournament in Los Angeles.
The Bulldogs return their top goal scorer in Tye Perdido with 8 a year ago and their top four scorers in Perdido (20 points), Ben Funkhouser (12), Nick Love (9) and Tim Muravez (7). In addition, Scott Barnum returns in goal after seeing most of the duty in 2008, posting a 1.45 GAA. Andrew Hickman, who appeared in three matches a year ago with a 2.78 GAA, also returns to battle Barnum for the starting spot.
The complete 2009 schedule can also be found on this website by going to men's soccer and clicking on schedule.
