HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University, an NCAA Division II tournament qualifier a year ago, has released its 2017 schedule for women’s soccer.
Bears head coach Gary Higgins’ team — 13-5-2 overall and tri-champs in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) regular-season with Tusculum and Carson-Newman last season — has nine home matches.
HIGGINS
“We are very excited for the upcoming season,” Higgins in a press release. “We are looking to build on a strong 2016 campaign and are looking forward to a very challenging schedule.”
LRU opens Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at home against Limestone. That match pits the Bears against a Saints team that went 18-2, made the national playoffs and finished ranked No. 22 in NCAA Division II last season.
The Bears’ SAC schedule begins on Sept. 13 at Catawba (5 p.m.).
LRU shared last year’s SAC title with Tusculum (10-5-3) and Carson-Newman (17-4-1). The Bears meet Tusculum in Hickory on Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. and go to Carson-Newman on Sept. 20 for a 5 p.m. match.
“We had five to six freshmen starting almost every game last season so we are looking forward to them having a little more experience as well as some talented players joining our program,” Higgins said in the release.
LRU returns sophomore forward Abigael McGarel (Morristown, Tenn.), last year’s SAC Freshman of the Year, and all-league senior defender Helen Ramsey (Port Saint Lucie, Fla.).
“We have eight incoming players with a good mix of freshman and transfers so hopefully we can hit the ground running and have another successful year,” Higgins, last year’s SAC Coach of the Year, said. “As always, we have given ourselves a very tough schedule and will play some quality regional opposition.
“Our conference is always strong with at least three of four teams pushing for a national ranking each year.”
LENOIR-RHYNE WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
AUGUST
31, Limestone, 5 p.m.
SEPTEMBER
2, at USC Aiken, 1 p.m.
6, Mount Olive, 7 p.m.
9, at Belmont Abbey, 1 p.m.
13, at CATAWBA, 5 p.m.
16, TUSCULUM, 5 p.m.
20, at CARSON-NEWMAN, 5 p.m.
23, at LINCOLN MEMORIAL, 1 p.m.
27, Lees-McRae, 7 p.m.
30, at QUEENS, 5 p.m.
OCTOBER
4, MARS HILL, 7:30 p.m.
7, ANDERSON, S.C., 5 p.m.
10, St. Leo, 2 p.m.
14, at UNC Pembroke, 5 p.m.
18, COKER, 5 p.m.
21, at WINGATE, 5 p.m.
28, NEWBERRY, S.C., 2 p.m.
31, SAC tournament, first round at higher seeds, TBA
NOVEMBER
3, SAC tournament semifinals at Rock Hill, S.C., TBD
5, SAC tournament championship at Rock Hill, S.C., TBD