Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Soccer Unveils 2016 Schedule
July 05, 2016 | Women's Soccer
Red Raiders to open 2016 with seven game home stand
The Red Raiders will face a daunting slate of non-conference games, which features four teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, as well as two conference champions.
"Scheduling is almost as important as recruiting and coaching," Stone said. "You have got to put together a schedule that gives you a chance to be considered for the NCAA tournament. Traditionally we have challenged ourselves in the early going with some top teams. In years past we have played a majority of those games on the road, but this year a lot of those big games are at home."
The Red Raiders will open the 2016 campaign at the John Walker Soccer Complex on Aug. 19 with a home match against the University of New Mexico, who posted an impressive 10-8-2 record in 2015. Tech will close the opening weekend of the 2016 season with a Sunday matchup with Missouri State.
The Red Raiders will be back in action the following weekend to play a pair of tournament teams from a year ago as Tech will host Arizona and Northwestern, who both recorded 14 win season in 2015, with Arizona's RPI climbing as high as No. 13.
Tech will continue their seven-game home stand with a Friday night matchup with Cal Berkley on Sept. 2, followed by a Sept. 4 match with Abilene Christian.
"Last year, and the year before, we had a senior-laden team," added Stone. "You could take those teams anywhere, and we went on the road and played some of the top teams in the country. When you have a little bit of a younger team, I think it is kind of nice to have some of those games at home."
The Red Raiders will end their non-conference slate with a three-game road stretch that begins with a Sept. 11 matchup with Appalachian State, who posted a 10-6-4 record in 2015, including a 5-2-2 record at home.
A week after the team's trip to Boone, N.C., the Red Raiders will conclude their non-conference stretch with back-to-back matches on the West Coast including a Sept. 16 meeting with Loyola Marymount, followed by a Sept. 18 meeting with 2015 Mountain West Champion San Diego State.
The Red Raiders will begin Big 12 play on Sept. 23 with a road trip to Lawrence, Kan., to face KU, before hosting Iowa State on Sept. 25 at the John Walker Soccer Complex.
Texas Tech will then host Oklahoma State and Baylor on Oct. 7 and 9, before traveling to face 2015 Big 12 regular season champion West Virginia in Morgantown on Oct. 16. The Red Raiders will continue the road stand with an Oct. 21 matchup with UT in Austin followed by an Oct. 23 match against the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas.
The 2016 regular season will conclude with an Oct. 28 meeting with Oklahoma in Lubbock before turning its attention to the Big 12 Championship, held Nov. 2-6, at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City.
Stone returns the bulk of his defensive back-line, including senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson, from his 2015 roster, but the Red Raiders will be tasked with replacing all-time leading scorer Janine Beckie, one of three top-20 draft picks from the 2015 NWSL draft. Tech closed the 2015 season ranked 18th nationally in the final NSCAA top-25 poll.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Goalkeeper
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