Bemidji State announces 2006 soccer schedule

Bemidji State University head soccer coach, Jim Stone, announced Thursday the 2006 regular season schedule.

The upcoming season includes 19 games, nine of which will be in the friendly confines of the BSU Soccer Field. The slate is highlighted by the addition of two new Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents, University of Mary and Upper Iowa University.

The 2006-07 academic year marks the first year of conference scheduling against recently added Mary and Upper Iowa. Mary is located in Bismarck, N.D. and is joining the NSIC from the Dakota Athletic Conference of the NAIA ranks. Upper Iowa, in Fayette, Iowa, is becoming a member of the NSIC after having most recently been an NCAA Division II Independent. Mary and Upper Iowa, however, will not be eligible to compete for conference championships until 2007-08.

The Beavers' regular season schedule will kick off with a non-conference match in Grand Forks, N.D. against North Central Conference power North Dakota on Aug. 25th. BSU will play their next two games at home against non-conference opponents William Penn and Central Lakes Community College.

Next, the Beavers will travel to Duluth, Minn. to play in the Advantage Emblem Cup hosted by the College of St. Scholastica. BSU will play three games starting on Sept. 1st against Wisconsin-Stout, then battling Dakota Wesleyan and Northland College the next two days in the round-robin format. After winning the Cup title in 2004, the Beavers finished second last year.

Non-conference games in Marquette, Mich. against Saginaw Valley on Sept. 9 and Northern Michigan on Sept. 10 round out the preparation for the NSIC slate.

The Beavers will start the conference season with a weekend at home taking on Southwest Minnesota State on Sept 16 and a rematch of last year's NSIC Tournament Third Place game, against Wayne State College, the following day. The next weekend BSU will travel to MSU-Moorhead and Concordia-St. Paul for a pair of NSIC contests.

Midseason non-conference games Jamestown College and Minnesota-Duluth start a four-game homestand for the Beavers and a two-game break from conference play. Following these two matches, BSU will buckle down for the homestretch of the conference season. Three of the last five games come at home against Northern State, University of Mary, and the regular season finale taking on Minnesota-Crookston.

Between those home games the Beavers will travel to Upper Iowa and two-time defending NSIC champion Winona State University.

The opening round of the NSIC Tournament is slated for Oct. 24 with the two final rounds the following weekend, Oct. 28-29.

After finishing fourth in the 2005 NSIC tournament, coach Stone's squad will look to improve upon its school record 12 wins and second place regular season finish.

2006 Women's Soccer Schedule

Aug. 25 at University of North Dakota, 3 p.m.

Aug. 27 vs. William Penn University 1 p.m.

Aug. 28 vs. Central Lakes Community College 5 p.m.

Sept. 1 vs. UW-Stout, 2 p.m. at Duluth

Sept. 2 vs. Dakota Wesleyan University, noon, at Duluth, MN

Sept. 3 vs. Northland College, 3 p.m., at Duluth

Sept. 9 vs. Saginaw Valley, noon, at Marquette, Mich.

Sept. 10 vs. Northern Michigan University, 1 p.m., at Marquette, Mich.

Sept. 16 vs. Southwest Minnesota State, 1 p.m.

Sept. 17 vs. Wayne State College, 1 p.m.

Sept. 23 at Minnesota State-Moorhead, 11 a.m.

Sept. 24 at Concordia-St. Paul, 1 p.m.

Oct. 1 vs. Jamestown College, 1 p.m.

Oct. 2 vs. UM-Duluth, 4 p.m.

Oct. 7 vs. Northern State University, 1 p.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Mary University, 1 p.m.

Oct. 14 at Upper Iowa University, 1 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Winona State University, 1 p.m.

Oct. 21 vs. UM-Crookston, 1 p.m.

Oct. 24 NSIC Quarterfinals, TBA

Oct. 28 NSIC Semifinals, TBA

Oct. 29 NSIC Championship, TBA