Following a record-setting season that saw a program-best 20-2-1 record including the USA South Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Piedmont College women’s soccer team is looking to continue that success with the release of the 2016 schedule by Head Coach Stephen Andrew.
The season begins with a pair of regionally ranked foes in Centre College and DePauw University who finished the 2015 season 1st and 7th in their respective regions.
Piedmont will be in the friendly confines of Walker Athletic Complex eight times in the 2016 season with nine road contests and a neutral site game at the Centre College Tournament. The Lady Lions will be on the road for the first three weeks of the season before opening the home schedule with newly added USA South foe Wesleyan College on September 24.
The season opener comes on September 3 at the Centre College Tournament with DePauw University who finished the 2015 season 12-7-2 overall claiming their first-ever North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship and second tournament title. The Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh in penalty kicks but lost to Calvin ending their season.
Piedmont will also face the host team Centre College the following day after the Colonels posted a similar finish overall to the Lady Lions with a 21-2-1 record in 2015 advancing to the NCAA Tournament Final Four before losing to Williams, the eventual national champions. The Colonels won the SAA regular season and tournament title in 2015 including posting a win over Birmingham-Southern, the Lady Lions’ next opponent as Piedmont will travel to Birmingham, Alabama for a match on September 6.
The USA South opener comes on the road this year for the first time since 2013 as Piedmont travels to take on Covenant College then Maryville College on back-to-back dates starting September 16. The Lady Lions moved to 10-0 last season with a 1-0 OT victory over the Covenant Scots thanks to a game-winning goal by CASSIDY REICH who ended the year with nine game-winning goals, second best in the country, while finishing with a scoreless draw against Maryville in 2015.
On September 24, the home crowd at Walker Athletic Complex has the opportunity to see the 2016 Lady Lion squad for the first time as they host Wesleyan College, one of the newest members of the USA South, to begin a five game home stand that will continue through October 2. Piedmont posts a perfect 15-0 record against the Wolves and a combined 67-11 record all-time against the teams in that five game home stand.
Following the Wolves, Piedmont will take on another new conference member though the two have met 19 times in the past as Agnes Scott comes to Demorest, Georgia on September 25. Four of the five games during that stretch will be in conference play with the lone non-conference contest coming against Berry as the two are 2-2 all-time against one another as Piedmont came away with a 1-0 victory in Rome, Georgia last season.
The conference schedule will feature a pair of contests against each South Division school as Piedmont will have the same stretch of Wesleyan, Agnes Scott, Huntingdon, LaGrange and Salem in order for the second meeting. The Lady Lions will have the final stretch of home contests with Covenant and Maryville coming to Walker Athletic Complex for the final weekend of the regular season on October 21-22.
All roads lead to the USA South Championship Tournament beginning October 28 as matches will once again be hosted on campus sites after that transition was made last season.
The season begins on September 3 on the road against DePauw University in Danville, Kentucky while the home opener comes against Wesleyan College on September 24 at 2:00 p.m. All home action, for the fourth year in a row, will be broadcast live on Piedmont’s own Mane Event Broadcasting Network with live video and live stats integrated into one broadcast.
For the complete 2016 schedule, click here.
