Wednesday, August 3, 2005

MEN'S SOCCER RELEASES 2005 SCHEDULE

Dahlonega, Ga. – First year head coach Todd Eason announced today the North Georgia College & State University men's soccer schedule. The schedule features six home matches as the Saints enter their first season of competition in the NCAA.

The season begins with a couple tune-ups for the North Georgia squad as they face the Under-18 South Carolina Challenge on August 13 and Anderson College on the 23rd in exhibition matches.

August 27 kicks off the first match of the season as the Saints travel to Jackson, Miss. to take on Belhaven College. Continuing the road trip in Mississippi, North Georgia will face William Carey College on the 29th. The three game road trip will end on September 3 against Brevard College in North Carolina.

North Georgia will host its first NCAA event on September 7 when Milligan College comes to Dahlonega for a 5:00 p.m. match. The Saints will then face their first Peach Belt Conference challenge on the 10th as they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to play USC Upstate.

North Georgia will return home once again on the 14th to take on Reinhardt College before hitting the road to face Clayton State University on the 14th. The Saints will make a visit to Harding University on September 20th before finishing out the month with a home match against Lander University on the 24th and a road match against Oglethorpe University on the 26th.

October begins with a trip to UNC Pembroke on the 1st in the Saints fourth PBC match. Former conference rival Georgia Southwestern State University will welcome North Georgia on the 5th before the Saints return home for two PBC matches.

Francis Marion University will visit the NGCSU Soccer Complex on October 8 followed by USC Aiken a week later on the 15th. North Georgia will have a three match road trip beginning on October 19 against the University of Montevallo. On the 21st, the Saints will visit the University of Alabama-Huntsville and then face Young Harris College in an exhibition match on the 23rd.

The final regular season match will take place on October 28 as North Georgia welcomes Thomas University. The Peach Belt Tournament will begin on November 2 at the higher seeds home and conclude on fifth and sixth with the championship matches.

The Saints are coming off of their most successfully season in program history and their first winning season in eight years. North Georgia finished third in the conference with a 13-5-2 mark and a 8-1-1 conference record. The team advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament and made its first appearance in the NAIA Regional Tournament.