ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? A home match with Clemson to open the season, a tournament at Western Carolina plus five straight Big South Conference home matches late in the season highlights the 2009 UNC Asheville women's soccer schedule. The 17-match schedule was announced by Bulldog head coach Michele Cornish on Friday.
Asheville opens the 2009 season when it welcomes Clemson to Greenwood Field on Aug. 28 for the first time. The last ACC team to visit Greenwood Field was Wake Forest in 1996 when the Bulldogs recorded a 2-0 victory.
“We're excited about hosting Clemson,” said Cornish. “I appreciate them wanting to play us here in Asheville. It should be a great day for soccer.”
The Bulldogs have a three-game road trip after the Clemson match as they'll face Appalachian State (Aug. 30), Wofford (Sept. 3) and East Tennessee State (Sept. 6). Asheville returns to Greenwood Field to face Southern Conference power Furman (Sept. 9) and Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech (Sept. 13).
Cornish's club takes part in a tournament at Western Carolina the weekend of Sept. 18-20. The Bulldogs battle Elon on Sept. 18 and face the Catamounts on Sept. 20.
Asheville begins Big South Conference play with three straight road matches. The Bulldogs face defending league champ Radford (Oct. 2), VMI (Oct. 4) and Presbyterian (Oct. 10) away from Greenwood Field.
Asheville is at Greenwood Field for much of the final part of the regular season. The Bulldogs play five straight home matches starting with Charleston Southern (Oct. 16), Coastal Carolina (Oct. 18), Winthrop (Oct. 23), Gardner-Webb (Oct. 25) and Liberty (Oct. 30). They finish the regular season with a road match at High Point (Nov. 1).
“We play a challenging schedule this season,” declared Cornish. “Our non-conference matches should prepare us for Big South Conference play.”
