May 7, 2007

Tulsa, Okla. - The University of Tulsa 2007 women's soccer schedule features eight home games and four contests against NCAA Tournament teams from last year. The Golden Hurricane will also take on one team that concluded the 2006 season ranked among the top-five.

"We are excited about the season ahead," Head Coach Rena Richardson said. "We have a tough non-conference and conference slate, but we are going to take it one game at a time."

Tulsa opens up the season against Southeastern Conference member, Arkansas, on Aug. 31 in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks claimed a 2-0 victory last season, but the Golden Hurricane leads the all-time series 17-7-1. TU will then face New Mexico in the first home contest of the season at the Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium on Sept. 2. Tulsa downed the Lobos, 3-0, in the last meeting, but UNM owns a 2-1 advantage in the series.

The Golden Hurricane will compete at the Middle Tennessee Classic, on Sept. 7-9 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. TU will take on Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 7 and Western Kentucky on Sept. 9. This will be Tulsa's first meeting with both teams.

On Sept. 14, Tulsa hosts Stephen F. Austin at the Hurricane Stadium, and two days later takes on Arkansas-Little Rock on the Oral Roberts campus. TU tallies a 2-1 lead in the series against the Ladyjacks and a 14-2-1 lead against the Trojans.

The Golden Hurricane will face its biggest challenge of the season, Texas A&M, on Sept. 21 in College Station. The Aggies advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2006 NCAA Tournament and concluded the season ranked fifth in the NSCAA/adidas National Final Rankings. The two teams have not met since 1996, but the series is tied 2-2-1.

Missouri State comes to Tulsa on Sept. 23 for the annual duel. TU captured a 1-0 victory last season to take a 5-4-1 lead in the series. The Golden Hurricane will then take on cross-town rival Oral Roberts on Sept. 25. Tulsa also posted a shutout over the Golden Eagles last season, 3-0, to stretch its lead in the series to 11-3-3.

TU will conclude the non-conference schedule at home against Northwestern State on Sept. 30. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Golden Hurricane will begin Conference USA action against UTEP on Oct. 5 in El Paso, Texas, followed by a trip to Colorado Springs, Colo. to take on Colorado College on Oct. 7. TU owns a 6-4-1 lead in the series against the Miners, but the Tigers lead TU in the series, 7-1.

Tulsa returns home to host UCF and Southern Miss on Oct. 12 and 14, respectively. Last season's contest against the Golden Knights ended in a 1-1 tie, while UCF picked up a win in the only other meeting. TU, however, registered a 3-1 victory over the Golden Eagles in the inaugural meeting last year.

On Oct. 19, the Golden Hurricane will take to the road to face Memphis and two days later will travel to Birmingham, Ala. to take on Conference USA Champion UAB. TU did not face either conference foe last season, is tied in the series with the Tigers, 1-1, and captured wins in both previous meeting with the Blazers.

The Golden Hurricane will face Houston on Oct. 26 and Rice on Oct. 28 in the final home stand of the season, before concluding regular season play at SMU on Nov. 2. The Cougars posts a 2-0 advantage over TU in the series, while Tulsa and the Owls are tied, 1-1. The Mustangs, however, have a 20-2-1 lead over the Golden Hurricane.

The Conference USA Championship will begin with quarterfinal action on Nov. 7, while the semifinals will take play on Nov. 9 and the championship game will be played on Nov. 11. All games will be played in El Paso, Texas at University Field.