Click Here For 2012 Schedule
Brooklyn, NY -- LIU Brooklyn head men's soccer coach TJ Kostecky has announced the Blackbirds' schedule for the upcoming 2012 campaign. LIU opens the season with four straight road games, beginning on Friday, Aug. 24 at George Washington, before coming home to LIU Field for the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 8 against Rider at 1:00 p.m.
Following the contest against the Colonials, who advanced to the 2011 Atlantic 10 Tournament Final but lost in penalty kicks to Xavier, the Blackbirds will take on George Mason on Aug. 26. LIU then embarks on a two-game roadtrip to California where the squad will take on UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
The Anteaters went 16-6-1 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while the Highlanders were one of the final teams left out of the 2011 NCAA Tournament after tallying wins over UC Irvine and nationally-ranked UC Santa Barbara during the regular season.
The tilt against Rider begins a stretch of four games in 14 days, three of which will take place at home. In addition to the match against the Broncs, LIU will host Fairfield, an NCAA Tournament participant in 2011, on Sept. 12 and Columbia, who was a win away from an Ivy League title last season, on Sept. 22. A road game against La Salle in Philadelphia is sandwiched between the two games on Sept. 15.
Northeast Conference play begins with a road match against 2011 NEC Tournament finalist Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, Sept. 28. Two days later, the Blackbirds host Mount St. Mary's to begin their NEC home schedule at LIU Field.
Also included on the conference docket are home contests against Quinnipiac (Oct. 7), St. Francis (N.Y.) (Oct. 19), Central Connecticut State (Oct. 26) and defending NEC Tournament champion Monmouth (Oct. 28), and road matches against Bryant (Oct. 12), Sacred Heart (Oct. 14), Saint Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 2) and Robert Morris (Nov. 4).
The top four finishers in the NEC regular season will advance to the NEC Tournament on Nov. 9-11. The event will be hosted by the top seed.