May 20, 2009

To view the entire 2009 schedule, please click here.

Los Angeles - LMU men's soccer will play 12 of its 20 games in 2009 away from Sullivan Field as the 2009 schedule was revealed Wednesday. The Lions will face four teams that participated in the 2008 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships, including a trip to 2006 National Champions UC Santa Barbara. Other featured games include the season opener at San Diego State on September 1, the home opener versus San Jose State on September 11, the West Coast Conference opener against defending champions San Francisco on October 2, and a match against San Diego on October 25 in which the Lions will try to break the Sullivan Field single-game attendance record.

LMU went 7-8-5 overall in 2008, improving by four wins over its 2007 mark. The Lions finished fifth in a tight West Coast Conference race, posting a record of 5-6-1. Playing away from home proved the difference, however, as the Lions were 0-6-2 overall outside of Sullivan Field, including 0-5-1 in conference play. In addition to the four teams that made last year's postseason play, the 2009 schedule sees the Lions matching up in the non-conference slate against six teams from the top-100 in RPI in 2008.

"With 12 of our 20 games and six of our eight non-conference games on the road, this schedule will be challenging but I think we will be up to the test," Head Coach Paul Krumpe said. "We failed to get results away from home last year but this year, we will look to reverse that by playing a lot of good programs from good conferences. You will see that we will be playing teams from the Pac-10, Big Ten, Ivy League, Big West, and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation."

LMU kicks off the 2009 schedule by commencing what will be a two-year home-and-home series against San Diego State and Cal State Northridge. The Lions will travel first to the Aztecs (6-9-3, RPI 99) of the Pac-10 Conference on September 1, then visit the Matadors (8-7-4, RPI 66) of the Big West on September 6. Fans will get their first glimpse of the Lions at home on September 11 when a resurgent San Jose State squad (9-5-4, RPI 97) pays a visit to Sullivan Field.

LMU will then play three straight games against teams that not only made the 2008 NCAA Tournament but also received first-round byes. UC Santa Barbara (10-7-5, RPI 19) will start a two-year home-and-home series with LMU on September 13 when the Lions travel up the coast to Harder Stadium, site of the 2010 College Cup. The Gauchos have been in two of the last five National Championship matches, falling in penalty kicks in 2004 before winning it all in 2006. Last year, they were knocked out on penalty kicks in the second round. A trip south for the USD Tournament follows September 18-20. Heading that group is Michigan State, who finished the year eighth in RPI. The Spartans went 13-5-2 to win the Big Ten Conference title and received a first-round bye to the NCAA Tournament, falling in the second round to Illinois-Chicago on penalty kicks. The Lions will play the Spartans in the opening game of the USD Tournament September 18 and then turn around two days later to face Ivy League champions Dartmouth (11-6-2, RPI 26) in the tournament finale. The Big Green also had a first-round bye in the postseason, advancing to the third round after eliminating Boston College on penalties.

The Lions host their second and final home non-conference match on September 24 against UC Riverside (4-15-1). The non-conference slate concludes at the newest members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Cal State Bakersfield (4-13-0), on September 27.

The quest to continue climbing up the WCC ladder begins on October 2 when defending WCC champions San Francisco journeys to Sullivan Field. Only two wins separated the Dons (9-9-3) and the Lions in the WCC standings last season, when the teams split their games, each winning by a single goal. Following its home WCC opener, the Lions head out on the road to Gonzaga (9-8-2, second place WCC) on October 9 and Portland (8-10-2, sixth place WCC) on October 11. Then it's back home to face Santa Clara (4-9-7, seventh place WCC) on October 16 and Saint Mary's (6-9-4, fourth place WCC) on October 18. Both of the home matches will be a part of doubleheaders with the LMU women's team. The first round of conference play concludes at San Diego (6-10-4, third place WCC) on October 22.

The Lions and Toreros will open the second round of conference play at Sullivan Field on October 25. The game will feature a special "Pack Sullivan" promotion in which LMU will try to break the program's single-game attendance record of 1500 fans, set on September 22, 2002 vs. UCLA. A trip to San Francisco on November 1 gets the ball rolling on the season's final month and the Lions will close out their home schedule the following weekend when they host Gonzaga on November 6 and Portland on November 8. Both could prove to be pivotal games before the regular season concludes with a trip to Santa Clara on November 13 and Saint Mary's on November 15.

"Last year we saw one of the closest WCC races ever, with only seven points separating the top six teams," Krumpe said. "Had we turned two of our four one-goal road losses into wins, we would have been champions. I see this year's race as being no different. Each team has a chance to win so claiming points on the road is crucial."

For tickets and other scheduling information, please visit www.LMULions.com.

- GO LIONS -