Two games against the Big 12, seven non-conference rematches and eight games at the new First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex highlight the 2016 South Dakota women’s soccer schedule released Tuesday.
“We scheduled a tough non-conference schedule to challenge us early and often, preparing us for the Summit League,” said South Dakota head coach Mandy Green. “We want to be playing our best soccer at the end of the year.
“To be able to be on the new turf field this spring was extremely beneficial for our athletes in preparing for the fall. The team will continue to work on their touch, their fitness and their strength over the summer and we are excited for August to have them back on campus to get ready for another season.”
The Coyotes unveil the First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex on opening weekend by hosting Idaho on Aug. 19 and North Dakota on Aug. 21. The Coyotes and the Fighting Hawks will meet for the 27th time in 2016, the longest rivalry in program history.
South Dakota then hits the road for a six-game streak, with its first stop in southern California for a rematch against UC Riverside on Aug. 26 and the program’s first meeting with CSUN on Aug. 28. USD also travels to Drake on Sept. 2, Northern Iowa on Sept. 4, Creighton on Sept. 9 and Iowa State on Sept. 13 for rematches from a year ago.
South Dakota’s next home stand comes against Eastern Washington on Sept. 16 and former Summit League foe Kansas City on Sept. 18.
The Coyotes’ 11-game, non-league schedule wraps up with a match at Kansas State on Sept. 25, a program in its first year of competition.
An eight-match Summit League slate kicks off Sept. 30. This season, South Dakota hosts 2015 Summit League regular season champions North Dakota State on Oct. 7, 2015 Summit League tournament champions South Dakota State on Oct. 14, Omaha on Oct. 28 and Fort Wayne on Oct. 30.
The Summit League Tournament will be hosted North Dakota State, Nov. 3-5 at Dacotah Field in Fargo, N.D. The top four of the league’s nine teams will compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
