April 30, 2007

Tulsa, Okla. - The 2007 University of Tulsa men's soccer schedule features five 2006 NCAA Tournament teams, three teams that concluded last season ranked among the top-25 and seven home games.

TU will take on NCAA Tournament teams Virginia, Virginia Tech, Creighton, SMU and UAB, while the Cavaliers, Mustangs and Bluejays concluded last season ranked 4th, 6th and 24th, respectively, in the 2006 College Soccer News final poll.

"We have a very challenging non-conference schedule this season," Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. "We enjoy playing the best because it provides us the opportunity to put together a resume for the NCAA Tournament, as well as prepares us for a difficult conference schedule."

The Golden Hurricane begins the season on Aug. 31 against Wisconsin in the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational in Madison, Wis. The Badgers own a 4-2 advantage in the overall series, but Tulsa picked up a win in its first game of the season last year, a 3-0 victory over then 24th-ranked Wisconsin-Milwaukee at home. Tulsa will also face Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the tournament on Sept. 2. After last year's shutout over the Panthers, TU posts a 5-3 lead in the series.

Tulsa will make its annual trip to Dallas, Texas on Sept. 7-9, to take on Georgetown and Virginia in the SMU-Mi Cocina Classic. This will be the first meeting between the Hurricane and both teams. The Cavaliers concluded the season ranked fourth by both the College Soccer News and NSCAA/adidas National Rankings, and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals.

TU will return home to host the Great Western Plaza Hurricane Classic, featuring cross-town rival Oral Roberts, Missouri State and Virginia Tech. Tulsa will face the Hokies on Sept. 14 and the Bears on Sept. 16 for TU's first matches of the season at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. The Golden Hurricane owns a 1-0 advantage in the series against Virginia Tech and a 21-11-2 mark against Missouri State.

On Sept. 22, TU will take to the road to face former Missouri Valley Conference rival Creighton in Omaha, Neb. The Bluejays have a 13-7-2 lead in the overall series, but Tulsa won the last match up, a 1-0 victory over then third-ranked Creighton in 2005.

Tulsa will begin conference play at home against 2006 Conference USA Regular Season and Tournament Champions SMU on Sept. 28. The Mustangs posted a 17-2-4 overall record and a 5-1-2 C-USA mark last season, and were ranked as the top team in the nation by College Soccer News for six weeks. SMU owns a 23-5-2 advantage over TU in the series.

"I feel confident going into conference play," McIntosh said. "We posted a 5-3 mark in C-USA last season and finished third. This season we start conference play at home against a very good SMU team, so we will be ready for the challenge."

The Golden Hurricane will take a week off before Memphis comes to town on Oct. 5 for the fifth meeting between the schools. The Tigers have claimed a 3-0-1 record in the series. Tulsa will then take to the road for a three-game road swing to Kentucky on Oct. 10, South Carolina on Oct. 13 and UCF on Oct. 21. The Wildcats picked up two wins over TU last season for a 3-1 advantage in the series, while the Golden Hurricane registered its first win over the Gamecocks in the three game series. Tulsa also earned two wins over the Golden Knights to boast a 3-0 record in the overall series.

TU will take a break from conference action to host Centenary on Oct. 24. Tulsa leads the Gents 3-2-1 in the series. FIU comes to town a week later, Oct. 31, for the fourth meeting between the schools. The Golden Hurricane has won two of the contests against the Golden Panthers, while the third meeting ended in a 1-1 tie.

Marshall plays host to TU on Nov. 3, before the Golden Hurricane concludes the regular season at home against UAB on Nov. 9. Tulsa owns a 2-1 advantage in the series against the Thundering Herd and a 2-1-1 lead over the Blazers.

The Conference USA Championship will begin with quarterfinal action on Nov. 14, while the semifinals will take place on Nov. 16 and the championship game will be played on Nov. 18. All games will be played in Birmingham, Ala. at the West Campus Field on the UAB campus.