Texas State Soccer Schedule For 2018 Announced
“We have a young team and they are driven to work hard and improve every day,” said Conner. “The 2018 season will be exciting and very competitive as we have formidable opponents that will push us to develop and showcase our abilities.”
SAN MARCOS, Texas – On Wednesday, Texas State head soccer coach Kat Conner announced the 2018 schedule for the program’s 20th season. The slate features 19 matches with seven at home and two contests against Power 5 programs.
“We have a young team and they are driven to work hard and improve every day,” said Conner. “The 2018 season will be exciting and very competitive as we have formidable opponents that will push us to develop and showcase our abilities.”
Prior to kicking off the regular season, the Bobcats will travel to San Antonio to take on Incarnate Word in an exhibition match on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. It will be the second time in three years they will play the Cardinals in an exhibition.
The regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 17 with a trip to Ruston, Louisiana to face Louisiana Tech for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Texas State will return home for the first match of the year at the Bobcat Soccer Complex two days later against I-35 rival UTSA.
“The season opener against Louisiana Tech should be a good early test. They are athletic, always tough and well organized,” Conner stated. “Our home opener against UTSA will be an exciting game since they are well coached and will be prepared. That is also campus move-in day and I hope all the new Bobcats will take some time to come out to support their soccer team.”
Another trip to the Pelican State sees the Bobcats take on former Southland Conference foe McNeese on Aug. 24 in the first of five straight road matches.
Two days after the contests against the Cowgirls, the first of two Power 5 matches takes place when Texas State faces LSU in Baton Rouge. The match is only the second ever against a Southeastern Conference member with the first coming against Auburn during the Bobcats’ inaugural season in 1999.
Texas State continues its road swing by closing out August against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The trip continues to Prairie View A&M on Sept. 2 for only the second meeting ever not to take place in San Marcos between the programs.
Alumni weekend takes place Sept. 7-9 and starts with a match at Texas. The Longhorns finished with a 14-4-3 record last season and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. On the ninth, the Bobcats are back home to take on UTEP at 1 p.m.
“Having LSU and Texas on the schedule will give us an opportunity to get ready for Sun Belt Conference play,” said Conner. “The conference is strong and all of the teams have improved. Any team can win the championship title; it’s just a matter of hard work.”
Sun Belt Conference play starts with a home contest against ULM on Sept. 14. TXST then travels to Houston Baptist two days later for the final non-conference match of the season.
The first two conference road contests sees the Bobcats face Louisiana and the four-time defending regular season champions South Alabama on the 21st and 23rd, respectively.
September ends with games against Little Rock (28th) and Arkansas State (30th) at the Bobcat Soccer Complex.
October begins with the final three road matches of the season. First up is a trip to Boone, North Carolina on the fifth to take on Appalachian State. Texas State travels down the mountains towards the Georgia coast for a match at Georgia Southern to close out the weekend. A week later the Bobcats head to Alabama for an encounter with Troy.
The regular season concludes the third weekend of October, and for the third consecutive year with two home contests. On tap first is a visit from Georgia State on the 19th with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Texas State’s senior day takes place the 21st with Coastal Carolina coming to town.
A top eight finish in the Sun Belt standings will see Texas State qualify for the SBC Tournament that takes place Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 in Foley, Alabama at the Foley Sports Complex.
For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.
2018 Schedule: http://txstatebobcats.com/schedule.aspx?path=wsoc
