May 18, 2011
HTML Schedule | PDF Schedule 
| 2011 Opponent Information
PITTSBURGH - Duquesne head women's soccer coach Tim Zundel's team will play three BCS schools, an NCAA qualifier and a nine-game league matches as part of the 2011 schedule released today.
The season will begin on Aug. 19 at Rooney Field when the Dukes host defending Northeast Conference champion Saint Francis, Pa. The Red Flash fell to Big Ten champion and nationally-ranked Ohio State 1-0 in double overtime in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Championship.
The Dukes first road match will be at Cleveland State on Aug. 21st. The Vikings finished in third place in the Horizon League last season. Duquesne will remain on the road for a challenging weekend, playing a pair of Big Ten schools in a tournament hosted by the University of Michigan. DU will face the host team Wolverines on Aug. 26th followed by Michigan State on Aug. 28th.
Following the Michigan trip, the Dukes head to Florida for a pair of matches against Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 2nd and Miami on Sept. 4th. FGSU finished 2010 with a record of 11-4-2 and was crowned regular champion of the Atlantic Sun Conference. However, due to the NCAA reclassifying period, the Eagles could not compete in the A-Sun postseason tournament. The Hurricanes (10-8-1) play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the best leagues in the country which put an NCAA-leading eight teams in the 2010 NCAA Championship.
Duquesne returns home for five straight matches beginning Sept. 11th with Kent State followed by Robert Morris on Sept. 16th. The Dukes end the non-conference season with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference finalist Canisius on Sept. 23rd. The Golden Griffins are coming off a 14-7-0 and were the MAAC regular season champions.
Atlantic 10 Conference play begins Sept. 30th with Richmond followed by George Washington on Oct. 2nd. The Spiders return 10 starters including 2010 A-10 Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection Becca Wann. The Colonials are coming off a 9-9-0 regular season, but finished tied for 11th in league play with a 3-6-0 record.
The first A-10 road match will be at St. Bonaventure on Oct. 8th. The Bonnies (12-9-0, 5-4-0 A-10) finished tied for fourth in the league and earned its first-ever A-10 Championship victory last season. SBU lost to eventual A-10 Champion Dayton 1-0 in overtime in the semifinal round.
The Dukes' final homestand of the season comes early with Saint Louis on Oct. 14th and Charlotte on Oct. 16th. SLU finished tied for 9th in the A-10 while UNCC earned a share of the conference title before falling in the championship match to Dayton 4-3. The 49ers finished 2010 16-5-0 and were an impressive 8-1-0 in league play.
The final four matches of the season will be on the road beginning with Massachusetts on Oct. 21st. The Minutewomen (8-11-0, 5-4-0 A-10) fell in the quarterfinal round to St. Bonaventure at the A-10 Championship. The Dukes will stay in New England to play Rhode Island on Oct. 23rd. The Rams went 3-13-2 overall and finished tied for 9th in the A-10 with a 3-5-1 record.
The regular season wraps up in Philadelphia. Oct. 28th, the Dukes will play Temple. The Owls finished last season with a record of 6-12-1 and 1-7-1 in the A-10. In the 2011 regular season finale, DU will face Saint Joseph's. The Hawks finished 2010 one spot above Temple in the A-10 standings with a record of 2-5-2 and were 5-11-2 overall.
"In 2011 we will be challenged in all parts of the season," said Zundel "We feel we are up for the demands of what is our program's toughest schedule to date."
The Dukes' 18 opponents combined for 158 wins in 2010 and 10 of those teams had a .500 or better overall record.
Dayton will host the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship Nov. 3-6. The top six teams qualify for the championship, with the top two teams earning byes into the semifinal round.
