SUU Soccer Announces 2012 Schedule

CEDAR CITY, Utah, April 19 –The 2012 schedule for the SUU soccer team promises contains plenty of new looks as Southern Utah enters its premier season in the Big Sky Conference under first-year head coach Becky Hogan. The Thunderbirds will also face a challenging non-conference schedule with matchups against teams like Utah and Utah State in preparation for their entrance into the new league.

“I think there is a lot of talent in the Salt Lake area and being able to play in front of family and friends is a bonus for our players,” said head coach Becky Hogan. “It is nice to have the opportunity to develop rivalry games with Weber, UVU and Utah State. I feel like we can be very competitive with those teams and the only way to really showcase that is to play head-to-head.”

Southern Utah begins the year with road contests at in-state rivals Utah State and the University of Utah. The Thunderbirds will open the season against the Aggies in Logan on Aug. 11 then meet up with the Utes two weeks later in Salt Lake on Aug. 23. In between those two games T-Birds will return home to face UC-Riverside on Sunday, Aug. 19. The team then travels to California for a weekend tournament at UC-Riverside that will pit the Thunderbirds against the UTEP Miners on Friday, Aug. 31 and the New Mexico State Aggies on Sept. 2.

“Our schedule is perfectly balanced and we won't have to travel too far,” commented Hogan. “Our non-conference opponents include different types of teams who play different styles, which should provide us challenges and experiences that will help prepare us for the Big Sky.”

The T-Birds will close out the preseason by hosting home matches against Utah Valley on Saturday, Sept. 8 and Embry-Riddle on the Sept. 12. Southern Utah also plans to host an alumni game on Sept. 15 as part of the local Festival Weekend.

SUU then opens its inaugural season in the Big Sky Conference with a three-game road trip with stops scheduled for Northern Arizona on Sept. 21 and Idaho State on Sept. 24, followed by a visit to rival Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 29.

The Thunderbirds return to Cedar City for their conference home opener against Sacramento State on Friday, Oct. 5 and then face Portland State two days later. The team will then be back on the road for contests at Northern Colorado on Oct. 12, and North Dakota on Oct. 14. Southern Utah concludes the season with a three game homestand featuring the University of Montana on Oct. 19, Eastern Washington on Oct. 21 and non-conference opponent CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 28.

“There is a lot of parity in the Big Sky, they aren't really any teams that are a lot stronger or weaker than the rest,” explained Hogan. “Every game is going to come down to the wire and we are counting on the fans, students and community to be the X factor that helps push us over the brink.”

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