University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Soccer Announces 2006 Schedule
June 28, 2006 | Soccer
“We are very excited about the 2006 schedule and look forward to improving on last years mark,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “The non-conference schedule is highlighted by national powers BYU and Virginia. We also have some difficult regional opponents that will test our group mentally and physically. The Clemson scrimmage will let us know exactly where we are at in the pre-season.”
Georgia will take on six teams that were selected to participate in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Headlining the schedule is the University of Virginia, a No. 2 seed in the tournament, who advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to UCLA. Additionally, BYU was a No. 4 seed in their portion of the draw, but suffered a first-round upset. The other four NCAA participants all came out of the Southeastern Conference: Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
“Our strength of schedule will be better than a year ago and hopefully we can do enough throughout the season to receive an NCAA Tournament bid,” said Baker. “We have a strong senior class that is looking to end their careers on a high note – hopefully we can provide a magical season for them.”
The first regular-season match kicks off on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m., as Georgia hosts Jacksonville. The Dogs then take on Mercer on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. Georgia wraps up its season-opening home stand against BYU on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. before hitting the road to travel to Virginia for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday, Sept. 8. Georgia will also take on George Mason on the UVA campus on Sunday, Sept. 10 at noon.
Georgia then returns to Athens for a home weekend with matches on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 17 at 5 p.m., taking on Furman and Georgia State, respectively. The weekend set will be the Bulldogs’ final tune-up before beginning SEC play.
Baker’s squad will begin SEC play with four straight road contests: Friday, Sept. 22 at Mississippi State (7 p.m.); Sunday, Sept. 24 at Ole Miss (1 p.m.); Friday Sept. 29 at Florida (7 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 1 at South Carolina (2 p.m.).
Georgia then plays five consecutive home contests: Friday, Oct. 6 vs. Arkansas (7 p.m.); Sunday, Oct. 8 vs. LSU (2 p.m.); Friday, Oct. 13 vs. Vanderbilt (7 p.m.); Sunday, Oct. 15 vs. Kentucky (2 p.m.) and Friday, Oct. 20 vs. Auburn (7 p.m.)
Finally, Georgia wraps up the regular season on the road: Sunday, Oct. 22 at Alabama (1 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 27 at Tennessee (7 p.m.).
The SEC Tournament will begin on Thursday, Nov. 2 with the quarterfinal round, followed by the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 3. The SEC Championship match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 5. The tournament will be held once again in Orange Beach, Ala.
Click here for a complete schedule.
