Tech Heads To Denver For Annual Exhibition Match

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech soccer moves closer to the beginning of its 2017 campaign by traveling to its annual preseason matchup with Denver slated for Saturday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Field.

This year's contest will mark the fifth-straight year the Red Raiders and the Pioneers have squared off in an exhibition match. Last season, Tech picked up a 2-0 victory over Denver after a pair of goals from sophomore forward Jade King in the 7' & 12' of the match.

"We like to call the DU game the measuring stick, the X-ray," head coach Tom Stone said. "When we come out of that game, regardless of the result, we know so much about ourselves and didn't hurt our record in the process. You can play everybody, the substitution rules are relaxed and all of the freshman get a chance to show us what they have. Denver is a beautiful setting, it's little higher in altitude than Lubbock, so we appreciate getting under that duress a little bit. It just checks all of the boxes for preparation."

Following their trip to Denver, the Red Raiders spend the next two weeks on the road before the home opener on Sept. 3 against Appalachian State at 7 p.m. Tech heads to the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque to face Grand Canyon (5 p.m.) and San Francisco (2 p.m.) on Aug. 18 & 20, respectively. The following weekend, the Red Raiders travel to California to face Pepperdine (5 p.m.) on Aug. 25 and San Diego (6 p.m.) on Aug. 27 to wrap the month.

"I think if we list our priorities from this exhibition it would be: defensive cohesion from front-to-back, getting our possession & passing rhythm going and being more dynamic & dangerous in the final third," Stone said.

Nineteen letterwinners return from the 2016 team, which features all of its goal scorers & a majority of its starting defense, while 11 freshman join the fray and look to make an immediate impact. The 2017 campaign is the program's 24^th season and 11^th under head coach Tom Stone.

Included in the returning force is All-Big 12 midfielder Gwennie Puente and unanimous All-Big 12 Freshmen forward Jade King and midfielder Jordie Harr. Earlier this week, Harr was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 list, making it the eighth-straight year Tech has been represented on the squad.

Tech was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 standings, as voted on by the league's coaches. The ranking marks the fifth-straight year the Red Raiders have been projected to finish in the top four of the league, which featured six teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, the most since 2011.

The Red Raiders were one of the six squads to earn a postseason berth from the No. 1 RPI conference in the country, after finishing eighth in the Big 12 last season. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the program's fifth consecutive, as the Red Raiders concluded the year with a 9-9-2 record.

After a trip to Denver, Tech will open the regular season at the Lobo Invitational on Aug. 18 against Grand Canyon in Albuquerque.

Tech Heads To Denver For Annual Exhibition Match

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Players Mentioned

Jordie Harr

Jade King

Gwennie Puente

Texas Tech University Athletics