Colorado State head women’s soccer coach Bill Hempen doesn’t want his team to back down from anybody. And on Wednesday, Hempen put that philosophy on display by announcing the program’s 2014 fall schedule.
It was also announced that the team would be playing its home matches on campus instead of at the Fort Collins Soccer Complex where they were hosted this past season.
“The players are excited about that opportunity, and it is a complete step in the right direction with the full blessing of the Fort Collins Soccer Club because they know how important it is for a college team to play on its college campus,” Hempen said in a statement released by the University. “This is a great step forward for our program, and I see it as an option for students to come support another CSU program that we hope they can be proud of and get behind.”
Among the team’s non-conference schedule will be matchups with teams from Pac-12, Big 10, and American Athletic conferences.
“This is a bit more challenging for us this year,” Hempen said. “We are still in search of our first home win, and I think we’ve given ourselves more chances to get that this year.”
The Rams will open the 2014 campaign with their first-ever matchup with rival Colorado on Aug. 22 in the first installation of the Colorado Cup. They will then return home to play rival Northern Colorado on Aug. 28 in their home opener which doubles as the second game of the aforementioned Colorado Cup. The Rams will also take on rival Air Force and conference newcomer Colorado College during conference play to complete the five-team challenge. Following their home opener against UNC, the Rams will begin a four-game home stand against Portland State (Sept. 5), Iowa (Sept. 7), Southern Methodist (Sept. 12) and College of Charleston (Sept. 14).
The Rams will then conclude their non-conference portion of the schedule on the road in the Montana Invitational where the team will take on Montana and Eastern Washington.
With the addition of Colorado College, the Mountain West now expands to 12 teams, each of which the Rams will face once this season. Notable games include hosting perennial power and two-time defending conference champion San Diego State on Oct. 26 and travelling to Laramie for a rematch with rival Wyoming on Halloween.
And should the Rams qualify, the Mountain West Conference tournament will take place Nov. 4-8 in San Diego, California.
Collegian Reporter Keegan Pope can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @kpopecollegian.
