head women’s soccer coach Julie Woodward has released the fall 2008 schedule, which contains 18 matches against Division I competition, including home matches against two schools from the Big Sky Conference.
The women’s soccer program will have the honor of playing Seattle University’s first Division I contest since 1980, as the team heads to Utah during the first weekend of the season for matches against Weber State (Aug. 22) and Utah State (Aug. 24). The next weekend, the Redhawks head to for matches against (Aug. 29) and State (Aug. 31).
heads to , , for the Idaho Governor’s Cup, facing the host Vandals Friday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 7. After a ten-day layoff, the team heads to , , for a match against Pac-10 school Wednesday, Sept. 17. That is followed by the home opener against Sunday, Sept. 21, beginning at 1 p.m. at Championship Field.
The team heads back to the final weekend in September for matches at (Sept. 26) and Cal State Bakersfield (Sept. 28) before returning home for a contest against Sunday, Oct. 5. The Redhawks head out on a five-game road swing over the next 26 days, facing University of San Francisco (Oct. 10), South Dakota State (Oct. 16), North Dakota State (Oct. 18), Utah (Oct. 24), and Utah Valley State (Oct. 27).
On Halloween, hosts Cal State Bakersfield beginning at 2 p.m. at Championship Field. After a quick trip to face UC Riverside on Nov. 2, the team finishes the season with home matches against former conference rivals Central Washington (Nov. 5) and Saint Martin’s (Nov. 9).
"I am pleased that we have been able to put together a full Division I schedule this season, with teams from some of the top conferences in the country including the Pac-10, the WAC, the Mountain West, the Big Sky, and the West Coast Conference. This slate of matches will challenge the players, but I feel that they are ready for the opportunity to prove that they can compete at this level as we begin to elevate the program even further from what we've accomplished over the past few years,” Woodward said.
, a Jesuit-run institution with over 7,500 enrolled students, is in Year One of the reclassification process towards becoming a Division I member of the NCAA. As one of two “fast-tracked” sports selected at the beginning of the process, the women’s soccer program will be eligible to compete in NCAA postseason competition beginning in the fall 2010 season.