HOBOKEN, N.J. (June 15, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s soccer team officially released its 2010 schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The schedule, which always is one of the best in the country, will feature a pair of teams that competed in the 2009 NCAA Division III Soccer Championship along with contests against some up-and-coming conference foes and regional powerhouses. In 2009, the Ducks finished with a 17-3-2 ledger, won their third Empire 8 title in three seasons, and made the Sectional round of the NCAA’s for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
Stevens will open the year with six-straight home games, the first being against cross-river rival New York University on September 1. Following a contest against SUNY New Paltz, the Ducks will host the annual Stevens College Classic on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11. Stevens will take on in-state foe William Paterson University and North Carolina Wesleyan College.
The Ducks will welcome in The College of New Jersey on September 15 before hosting York College (Pa.) at the De Baun Athletic Complex on September 17. Stevens was able to come back and earn a thrilling victory at TCNJ in 2009 but fell at York by a 1-0 final. York is one of the two tournament on the 2010 docket and it too made the round of 16 in 2009.
“TCNJ and York are two excellent programs and we are hoping to learn a lot about what the strengths and weaknesses of our team are at that point,” Head Coach Tim O’Donohue said. “This will give us a good opportunity to assess where we are as a team and hone our strengths and improve our weaknesses.”
Stevens will take to the road for the first time on September 22 at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. The Ducks and Valiants always play each other tough and it should be no different this season.
St. John Fisher College will then come to Hoboken for the first Empire 8 game of the season before the Ducks take to the road for an extremely tough three-game road trip at Rochester Institute of Technology (October 2), Nazareth College (October 3), and Ithaca College (October 9). The three teams have all played Stevens close the past three seasons.
“Although we have won the conference the past three seasons, we have not gone unbeaten on the road,” acknowledged O’Donohue. “Our goal will be to go unbeaten on the road next season. We lost at Ithaca in ‘08 when we went to the National Championship game and last year we lost to a much improved Elmira (College) team. We were able to beat Nazareth in the 89th minute in the conference final so we are expecting a very tough league next season.”
Following the road swing, Stevens will step out of conference for a match against the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Mariners and Ducks were huge rivals when the two teams played in the Skyline Conference so that contest should be one of the most exciting of the season at De Baun. USMMA also made the NCAA Tournament last year.
“They had a very strong season last year and finished ranked second in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the toughest region in the country,” said O’Donohue. “We always want to play the best teams so it’s nice to get them back on the schedule.”
Stevens will host Elmira College on October 16 in what will be a revenge game. Elmira downed the Ducks for their only conference loss 2009 so that matchup will most definitely be circled all year.
On October 19, Rutgers University-Newark will get a visit from the Ducks in their final non-conference road game of the season, and Empire 8 rival Alfred University will visit Castle Point on October 23. The Ducks will then welcome SUNY College at Old Westbury on October 27 before closing the regular season with a home game against Utica College on October 30.
The Empire 8 Championship will be played on November 5 and 7 at the highest seeds as the top four teams in the conference will play for an automatic berth into the NCAA’s.
“We feel this is the best schedule we have ever had,” added O’Donohue. “Every team is solid and we play some really excellent teams. William Patterson and Rutgers-Newark are strong and will be picked to do very well in the New Jersey Athletic Conference; which might be the toughest conference in the country top to bottom. All in all we are really looking forward to next season.”
