The UTEP soccer team will play 10 home games and face nine teams that posted records of .500 or better last year, according to the 2006 schedule released by head coach Kevin Cross on Monday.

After playing an exhibition game against an alumni team on Aug. 19, UTEP will open its 11th season on the road against Air Force and Northern Colorado.

The Miners then play five consecutive home games as they welcome Grambling State, Eastern New Mexico and first-year program Texas-San Antonio for the Ninth Annual Miner Classic, Aug. 31-Sept. 3.

NCAA participant Western Carolina will join Texas State and Southland Conference runner-up Sam Houston State in the Sun City for the Seventh Annual Border Shootout, Sept. 8-10

UTEP will open a six-game road trip at Texas Tech and New Mexico, Sept. 15-17. The Miners have won the last four over the Red Raiders and five-in-a-row over the Lobos.

A two-game swing through the Beehive State will see UTEP face Utah Valley State for the third-straight season on Sept. 21 before taking on Weber State a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sept. 23.

UTEP will open Conference USA play on the road for the second-consecutive year with a trip to SMU and Tulsa, Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

The Miners return home to University Field for five consecutive games against Houston, Rice, UAB, Memphis and C-USA newcomer Colorado College. The Tigers join the league as an affiliate member after Tulane dropped women’s soccer.

UTEP will close the regular-season on the road with its first-ever match-ups against East Carolina and Marshall. The Oct. 27-29 trip will mark just the second time in program history that UTEP has traveled to the Eastern Time zone. The Miners opened the 2000 campaign at Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The conference tournament will be held Nov. 1-5 at SMU’s Westcott Field. Under the conference’s soccer format, UTEP will not face Southern Miss or UCF in the regular season.

UTEP returns nine starters and 13 letterwinners from last year’s 20-4-1 squad, which reached the C-USA title game, earned the school’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round with a 3-2 win at Texas.