Men's Soccer Announces 2009 Schedule - RHODE ISLAND OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

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Men's Soccer Announces 2009 Schedule

Rhody opens the season with defending ACC Tournament Champion Boston College and finishes by hosting the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship.

Head Coach John O'Connor

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June 1, 2009

KINGSTON, R.I. - Eight home matches, an in-season tournament and a tough Atlantic 10 road schedule highlight the University of Rhode Island's 2009 men's soccer schedule, which was released today by head coach John O'Connor. The Rams, who fell to eventual champion Dayton in the quarterfinals of last season's Atlantic 10 Championship, will face seven teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament.

"From preseason right through November - it doesn't get any easier for us," said O'Connor. "And that is exactly what we look for in a competitive schedule. We are excited about the upcoming year and the challenges that it will offer the squad."

Rhody opens the 2009 season at home against defending Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Champion Boston College (Sept. 1), following two tough preseason exhibition games versus Providence (Aug. 26) and Holy Cross (Aug. 29). Both matches will be held on the URI campus at 7:00 p.m.

The Rams then hit the road for their first away match of the season as they will face URI alum and former assistant coach Gareth Elliott's Siena squad on Sept. 5. The Saints defeated the Rams in Kingston in overtime in 2008. The following weekend, Rhody heads to Hanover, N.H. for the Nike/Hypertherm Classic at Dartmouth College. There, URI is slated to play Iona on Sept. 11 before taking on host Dartmouth on Sept. 13. Both games will be played at the Burnham Soccer Complex - which O'Connor will visit for the first time since spending five years as the Big Green's assistant coach from 1990-1995.

The Rams then return to the URI Soccer Complex for three of their next four matches, beginning with Hartford on Sept. 16th. Following its match against the Hawks, Rhode Island will take on in-state rival Brown (Sept. 19) in the second annual "Grassroot Soccer" game. Last year in Providence, the Bears and Rams used the annual game to fundraise for the global aids education organization with the URI, alone, donating over $1,000.

Rhody then travels to New Haven to take on its third Ivy foe in two weeks with a Sept. 22 match at Yale.

After facing the Bulldogs, URI will complete its non-conference schedule with a home game against Boston University (Sept. 26) before hitting the road to take on perennial America East contender Binghamton (Oct. 3) in a televised game during homecoming weekend where the Bearcats are predicting crowd of over 3,000.

"Our non-conference schedule - which is one of the best since I came to Kingston - will leave us well-prepared for the competition that lies ahead in the Atlantic 10 Conference," noted O'Connor.

Rhode Island will open its league slate at Dayton - home of the 2008 A-10 Champion Flyers - on Oct. 9 before traveling to Cincinnati to complete the weekend double at Xavier on Oct. 11. The Rams then play host to Saint Joseph's (Oct. 16), Temple (Oct. 18), St. Bonaventure (Oct. 31) and Duquesne (Nov. 1) - with the latter two games being doubleheaders with the URI women. Rhody rounds out its Atlantic 10 schedule against UMass (Oct. 24), George Washington (Nov. 6) and Richmond (Nov. 8) on the road.

At the completion of conference play, the top six teams in the league will advance to 2009 Atlantic 10 Championships - held in Kingston at the URI Soccer Complex from Nov. 12-15.

"We are extremely excited to be hosting the A-10's for the first time since 2000," O'Connor added. "After losing to Dayton in the 2008 tournament, we promised ourselves that we would return to the postseason in 2009. It is the least we can do for all of our supporters and dedicated alums. When we combine the experience we gained last year with the great group of new incoming players - it should set us up for a really exciting season."