MSOE men's soccer announces tough 2010 schedule
| Published: 08/03/2010 |
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Coming off their best season in school history, the MSOE men's soccer team will play a very competitive schedule, highlighted by facing two NCAA Final Four programs. The Raiders, who finished second in the Northern Athletic Conference (NAC), lost to national semifinalist Dominican University, 1-0 in the conference championship. MSOE finished the 2009 campaign ranked eighth in the Central Region as voted on by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
The Raiders should be considered one of the top contenders for the NAC title along with Dominican who MSOE will face October 23 in River Forest, Ill. The schedule starts out tough from the beginning as the Raiders travel to Michigan to face national powers Calvin College and Hope College. Calvin, the NCAA Division III runner-up last season, will host the Raiders Friday, September 3. Hope, who finished sixth in the NSCAA Central Region and second in their conference to Calvin, will face MSOE Saturday, September 4.
Other key non-conference match ups include games against Carroll (September 15), Wisconsin- Platteville (September 22) and Beloit (October 1).
Milwaukee native and former U.S. World Cup starter, head coach Jimmy Banks, is in his tenth season at MSOE. Banks was named NAC Coach of the Year in 2009. The Raiders feature the defending NAC Defensive Player of the Year in senior Joe Westrich (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's High School). Last year's squad finished 13-6-2 overall and 9-1-1 in NAC play.
