Men's Soccer Releases 2010 Schedule

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont men's soccer team aims for a return to the Atlantic Sun Tournament and beyond with the help of its 2010 schedule. Head Coach Earle Davidson has lined up a challenging slate designed to help take the team to the next level.

"We have an exciting schedule set for the 2010 season. It is a schedule that will help us to prepare for the conference season," Davidson said. "In addition to teams from the South Region, we are playing teams from the Midwest as well as the East Region. By competing with teams from different regions, we get a look at various styles of play that will help the guys prepare for anything we could see in conference play."

Belmont opens the season on the road at Bellarmine on August 20 before its home opener on August 25 at Whitten Soccer Complex against first-time opponent Montevallo for an exhibition match. The first week of September finds the Bruins on the road with stops at Memphis (September 1) and Missouri Valley Conference newcomer SIU-Edwardsville (September 4). Centenary and former Atlantic Sun foe Gardner-Webb visit Nashville to compete in the Belmont Invitational the weekend of September 10.

BU hits the road for a match on the road at MVC Tournament runner-up Evansville on September 15 before traveling down the boulevard to compete in a tournament hosted by Lipscomb. Alabama-Birmingham and UNC-Asheville are also slated to participate. The Bruins close out the month with a stop at first-time opponent Duquesne of the Atlantic 10 on September 25.

"Quality programs such as University of Alabama Birmingham, University of Memphis and University of Evansville are on our non-conference road schedule. This caliber of team is important for us to match up against away from home as we prepare for the conference season," said Davidson.

The Bruins open Atlantic Sun play on October 1 hosting the 2009 tournament champion Stetson before hosting Florida Gulf Coast two days later. BU travels to Florida for games at North Florida (October 8) and Jacksonville (October 10) before returning to Whitten Soccer Complex to open a three-game homestand.

The always competitive Battle of the Boulevard match with rival Lipscomb is slated for October 14 and the Bruins have nearly a week off before taking on in-state rival ETSU on October 22. Belmont will host USC Upstate for its regular season home finale two days later. The following weekend, the team hits the road for a stop at Campbell, who earned the number one seed in last year's A-Sun Tournament, on October 28 and face off against Mercer, the tournament's runner-up on October 30.

"As usual, we expect a tight A-Sun season," Davidson said. "The league is close top to bottom and it will come down to the final weekend for the top seeding. With the talent we have coming in to mix with the quality of our returning group, as well as the strength of schedule, we expect to challenge at the top of the conference."

Belmont concludes the regular season on the road at first-time opponent Houston Baptist on November 2 before the 2010 Atlantic Sun Tournament begins four days later at campus sites of the higher seeds.