UNCW Women's Soccer Preview

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Contests against seven NCAA Tournament teams and eight matches at the UNCW Soccer Stadium highlight the 2008-09 UNCW women’ soccer schedule, 13th-year head coach Paul Cairney announced.

“Our 2008 schedule is by far the toughest we have had in our history,” Cairney said. “Seven of our opponents qualified for the NCAA tourney in 2007. In addition, all seven teams had an RPI in the top 50 (out of 310 Div I teams).

Four of the Seahawks eight non-conference opponents made the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Six of those eight squads had a final RPI in the top 100, while four ranked in the top 40. All three CAA teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament advanced to the second round and all three programs ranked within the top 30 of the final RPI poll.

“Our non-conference schedule includes top teams from top conferences as we play South Carolina (SEC), Charlotte (A-10) and Wake Forest (ACC),” Cairney said. “While it will be a challenge, it is also very exciting for our young team to play some of the best teams in the nation.”

The Seahawks open the season with three games against NCAA Tournament sides, beginning the year at home with Duke and South Carolina before heading west to face in-state foe Charlotte. The Blue Devils come to town for a pre-season exhibition Aug. 16 while the Gamecocks are in the Port City Aug. 23 to open the regular season. UNCW makes its first visit to the queen city in three seasons on Aug. 25.

The game against the 49ers begins a four-game stretch for the Seahawks that will pit them against in-state competition as they travel to Gardner-Webb (Aug. 29), Wake Forest (Aug. 31) and host East Carolina (Sept. 5).

UNCW then plays in its only in-season tournament of the season, traveling to Boone for the Appalachian State Mountaineer Invitational, Sept. 12-14. The Seahawks are slated to take on Division I independents Francis Marion (Sept. 12) and Longwood (Sept. 14) at the event.

After completing the non-conference portion of its schedule at Davidson (Sept. 21), UNCW opens Colonial Athletic Association play Sept. 26 with a road contest at William & Mary. The Seahawks return home following its visit to the Tribe to start a three-game home stand that begins Sept. 28 against Old Dominion and includes games against James Madison (Oct. 3) and VCU (Oct. 5). The league will once again play its conference games in a Friday and Sunday format.

A four-game road swing with visits to Towson (Oct. 10), George Mason (Oct. 12), defending CAA-Tournament Champion Hofstra (Oct. 17) and Northeastern (Oct. 19) follows the three-game home stand. UNCW returns home to host Drexel (Oct. 24) and Delaware (Oct. 26) before closing out the regular season at Georgia State (Oct. 30).

“Our non-conference schedule will prepare our team to be ready for the ultra-competitive CAA,” Cairney said. “Every game in our league is tough, and we must be ready for this challenge.”

The top six teams qualify for the CAA Women’s Soccer Tournament with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. First round games are played at campus sites while the semifinals and finals are slated to be played at the Virginia Beach Sports Complex in Virginia Beach, Va. -Courtesy UNCW Sports Information

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT