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    2010 Soccer Schedule Provides Many Challenges For Tigers Four TV Games
    Gabi Rivera returns to the field in 2010 after missing all of 2009 due to an injury

    Gabi Rivera returns to the field in 2010 after missing all of 2009 due to an injury

    July 27, 2010

    AUBURN, Ala. - With the start of fall practice rapidly approaching, the Auburn soccer team will begin its preparations for the 2010 season on Wednesday, Aug. 4, as it gears up for one of the more challenging schedules in recent history. With a lineup of matches that takes the team to Wisconsin and California and brings 2009 NCAA Women's College quarterfinalist Florida State to the Auburn Soccer Complex along with the always tough Southeastern Conference slate, Auburn is positioning itself for another postseason appearance come November.

    "The SEC is one of the best conferences in the country, and like every year, will provide a battle any time we take the field. This year's schedule is highlighted by our home weekend with 2009 SEC Champions South Carolina and Florida, who undoubtedly will be in the hunt to repeat their tournament and regular season successes," Auburn Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. "Our non-conference schedule is made to prepare us for the grind of the SEC as well as postseason play. Marquette, Florida State and Southern Cal have been consistently successful in their conferences and nationally. We are going to have to be prepared physically and mentally for the grind of this season's schedule. There are just no breaks for us with the travel and the quality of our opponents."

    The competition portion of the 2010 season gets underway on Friday, Aug. 20 when Tennessee Tech comes to Auburn. The following weekend Auburn will head to Milwaukee, Wis., where it will battle Marquette (Aug. 27) and UW-Milwaukee (Aug. 29) to close out the month.

    Auburn returns home on Sept. 3 for a match with regional foe Florida State and follows that with a Sunday, Sept. 5 meeting with Western Carolina before heading west for a weekend tournament at Southern Cal where it will face the host Women of Troy and Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 10 and 12, respectively.

    "Florida State is extremely well coached, have great quality in their team and will be prepared. The last time we played FSU at home (2008) was a 1-0 loss for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. We had a fantastic crowd that day and expect an even better one this year! We will be prepared through the necessary work, but the energy given from the home crowd is undeniable. Hopefully, it will help us change the result," Hoppa said. "The west coast teams are very good, and this year's trip will provide us an opportunity to test ourselves against two of the best. It challenges our staff to prepare the team not only for their opponents, but how to manage the cross-country travel."

     

     

    A Friday, Sept. 17, home match closes out the non-conference schedule and leads into the SEC schedule, where Auburn will be trying to win a seventh SEC West title under Hoppa's direction. Auburn will play four of its five divisional opponents in the first two weekends, hosting Mississippi State (Sept. 24) and Ole Miss (Sept. 26) and then traveling to Arkansas (Oct. 1) and three-time defending SEC West champion LSU (Oct. 3).

    Auburn returns home to face last season's top two teams out of the SEC East in South Carolina (Oct. 8) and Florida (Oct. 10) before heading to Vanderbilt (Oct. 15) and Kentucky (Oct. 17).

    The final two weeks of the season has Tennessee visiting Auburn (Oct. 21) and Auburn traveling to Georgia (Oct. 24) before wrapping the regular season up with the annual Iron Bowl of Soccer matchup against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 29.

    Once again the SEC Tournament will be held at the Orange Beach Soccer Complex in Orange Beach, Ala., and begins on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

    Auburn has been selected to play on television four times this season, appearing on ESPNU in matches with Ole Miss and Florida, playing on COX TV at LSU and then on Fox Sports at Georgia.

    "Any time we get to play on television once is great, let alone four times. Television games are fantastic for women's soccer, the SEC, Auburn University, and Auburn soccer! Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, and LSU are historically great games that will be entertaining to watch. Auburn fans everywhere get a chance to learn a little about Auburn and see us play, plus the team gets excited too," Hoppa said.

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