Monmouth Announces 2019 Soccer Schedule
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University women's soccer team, the three-time defending MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, has released its 17-game schedule for the 2019 season.
Eight home games highlight the schedule, which includes matches against four New Jersey programs and three 2018 NCAA Tournament participants. The Hawks have won at least 10 games in 13 consecutive seasons under head coach Krissy Turner, who enters her 22nd season at Monmouth in 2019.
"Our 2019 schedule is full of many challenges," Turner said. "To open the season with an opponent who advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in Hofstra and the following week host an ACC opponent in NC State, will tell us early on if we are prepared. We have a large core of returning players and we will need to be prepared for the different playing styles from game to game. The 2019 season is a season of firsts. It is the first time we have an ACC team coming to play at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn and also the first time we will play the University of Texas and a Big 12 team. It is a difficult non-conference schedule which will prepare us well for the rigors of the conference slate."
Following a pair of road scrimmages at Villanova (Aug. 11) and Saint Joseph's (Aug. 16), the Hawks begin their 2019 regular season at home against Hofstra on Friday Aug. 23. The Blue and White will then have an early-season matchup with Lehigh for the fifth consecutive year on Aug. 25 in Bethlehem, PA.
As part of a doubleheader with the Monmouth men's soccer team, the Hawks will host NC State on Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m. Monmouth's annual Labor Day matchup with Seton Hall (Sept. 2) will kickoff at 6 p.m. at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn.
The final three non-conference games come on the road, highlighted by a trip to Austin, TX for the first-ever meeting between Monmouth and Texas on Sept. 15.
MAAC play starts on the road with a game against Saint Peter's on Sept. 21. The Hawks will return home for two games against Marist on Sept. 28 (Pregame Alumni Reception) and Manhattan (Oct. 2).
Consecutive road games at Quinnipiac (Oct. 5) and Siena (Oct. 9) are sandwiched around a home tilt against Canisius on Oct. 12. The final two road games are at Iona (Oct. 16) and Niagara (Oct. 19) before the regular season closes at home against Rider (Oct. 26) and Fairfield on Senior Night (Oct. 30).
The top six teams qualify for the 2019 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship, which begins Sunday Nov. 3 (First Round). The semifinal matches will be played at the site of the No. 1 or No. 2 seed on Thursday, Nov. 7 with the championship match at the home of the highest remaining seed on Sunday, Nov. 10.