June 5, 2008

Men's Soccer Announces 2008 Schedule

June 5, 2008

KINGSTON, R.I. - Eight home matches and two in-season tournaments highlight Rhode Island's 2008 men's soccer schedule, which was released today by head coach John O'Connor. The Rams, who finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference season, will face four opponents that ended the 2007 season with national rankings and seven teams that competed in last year's NCAA Tournament.

"We will be very young this season, but we're looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of us," said O'Connor. "We've got a great history behind us and a number of returning players with both A-10 and NCAA Tournament experience, so we'll really look to those guys for leadership."

Rhody opens the 2008 season at the UNH Nike Classic over Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 29-31. There, the Rams will face former assistant coach Pat Laughlin and the Maine Black Bears on Friday afternoon, before taking on host team New Hampshire on Sunday. URI then travels to in-state rival Providence for a Sept. 9 meeting with the Friars.

The Rams return to Kingston for their home-opener against Albany on Sept. 12 and hit the road two days later for a match at Boston University on the 14th.

Rhody then hosts Harvard in the first game of a Wednesday night doubleheader with the URI women on Sept. 17 before heading back up to the capital city - this time to take on the Brown - on Sept. 20.

After facing the Bears, URI will meet Vermont (Sept. 26) and Hartford (Sept. 28) at the UMass Invitational in Amherst, Mass. The Rams then return to the URI Soccer Complex for their final non-conference matchup against former assistant coach Gareth Elliott and the Siena Saints on Oct. 3.

"I think we've got a good, strong non-conference schedule which will give us a chance really come together as a team in preparation for the always-competitive Atlantic 10 schedule," noted O'Connor.

Rhode Island opens its A-10 slate at home against 2007 NCAA College Cup Semifinalist Massachusetts on Oct. 12. The Rams will also play host to George Washington (Oct. 24), Richmond (Oct. 26), Charlotte (Nov. 7) and Saint Louis (Nov. 9) while facing Duquesne (Oct. 17), St. Bonaventure (Oct. 19), Fordham (Oct. 31) and La Salle (Nov. 2) on the road.

At the end of conference play, the top six teams in the league will advance to the Atlantic 10 Championship, hosted by Duquesne, Nov. 13-16.

"After graduating such a strong and influential class last year, we'll be starting off in a different position - not being one of the favorites in the league," added O'Connor. "But, we're excited to take that challenge and run with it."