George Washington University Athletics
Men's Soccer Releases 2007 Schedule
6/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 29, 2007
2007 GW Men's Soccer Schedule
WASHINGTON, DC - A pair of early season tournaments, matches against each of the three Division I programs in the District and two 2006 NCAA Tournament qualifiers highlight George Washington's 2007 men's soccer schedule, which was announced by head coach George Lidster on Friday.
GW will appear in the seventh annual DC College Cup and Longwood's Lancer Invitational to kick off the program's 43rd season. The Colonials also will visit rival Georgetown and battle 2006 NCAA postseason participants Winthrop and Saint Louis. The Billikens are one of eight teams slated to play at Mount Vernon Athletics Complex this fall.
The non-conference slate is challenging, consisting of two tournaments and a pair of solid Southern soccer programs. GW opens play against District rivals American and Howard at George Mason Stadium in the DC College Cup beginning Aug. 31. After knocking off both the Eagles and Bison last fall, the Colonials have a strong opportunity to capture the Craig Tartasky Trophy for the first time.
Lidster's squad then heads to Farmville, VA, for the Lancer Invitational featuring Big South power Winthrop and Division I newcomer North Florida. The Eagles won both the Big South regular-season and tournament titles en route to the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
GW travels to Baltimore to face Loyola (Md.) on Sept. 14, before opening its 2007 home schedule at Mount Vernon with a three-match home stand. The Colonials complete their home-and-home series with Rider on Sept. 22, and host Mount St. Mary's a week later. Longwood pays a return visit to the District on Oct. 3, after knocking off GW in the programs' first meeting last September.
Non-conference play concludes with a pair of difficult road tests. GW heads to Conway, SC, to battle another Big South school, Coastal Carolina, on Oct. 6. The Chanticleers were 11-7-2 and finished second in the Big South last fall despite knocking off league-champ Winthrop in the regular season.
GW has the Oct. 9 rematch at Georgetown marked after the Hoyas erased a 2-0 deficit to hand the Colonials a 5-2 loss in last fall's season-opener at the DC College Cup. GW countered with a victory over Georgetown in the spring and is hoping to produce a similar result this fall.
The nine-game conference slate sets the Colonials up for a prime run at their first A-10 Championship berth since 2004. Four of GW's five home league opponents finished the 2006 season regionally-ranked, led by Saint Louis, which received a first-round bye in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and ended the year ranked No. 21 in the nation. On the flip side, only one of GW's four road foes posted a winning record last fall. The Colonials open A-10 play at home against Richmond on Oct. 13, then alternate weekend series away-and-home for the next month.
GW heads to Philadelphia the weekend of Oct. 19 for Saint Joseph's and Temple, followed by a pivotal Oct. 26 weekend with Charlotte and the Billikens. Lidster will face former associate head coach Jake Ouimet for the first time when GW battles Duquesne on the road on Nov. 2. The Colonials play their final road match of the season at St. Bonaventure two days later. The regular-season comes to a head with home matches against Fordham on Nov. 9, and La Salle on Nov. 11. The 2007 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held at Dayton's Baujan Field for the first time since 2001.
GW posted a 5-9-3 overall record in 2006, 2-5-2 in Atlantic 10 play. The Colonials are set to return 22 players and nine starters for the Fall 2007 season, including A-10 All-Rookie Team selection Andrew Stadler, leading scorer Thomas Stuber, team co-captains Matt Davis and Greg McKay, and starting goalkeeper Greg Yahr.
