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Women's Soccer Sets 2008 Schedule
CHICAGO A total of six 2007 NCAA Championship opponents and 10 matches at Wish Field highlight the 2008 women's soccer schedule. The Blue Demons open the schedule on Aug. 22 against Loyola-Chicago in Lincoln Park. "We are extremely excited about our 2008 schedule," said head coach Erin Chastain. "We have increased the difficulty of our non-conference opponents and included several teams from some of the top soccer conferences in the country in the Big 12 and Big Ten. The competitiveness of our early games will prepare us for what will be a very challenging and exciting BIG EAST schedule." Following a preseason exhibition match against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 16, the Blue Demons play four of their first six matches next to the "L" tracks at Wish Field. The opening weekend sees the Ramblers venturing from Rogers Park on Aug. 22 followed by a game at Butler two days later. DePaul closes August with an Aug. 29 match against Michigan State before traveling to Toledo on Aug. 31. Loyola and Toledo both qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament. September starts with four straight non-conference matches followed by the beginning of BIG EAST play on Sept. 19 against Notre Dame. The Blue Demons host Iowa State and Western Illinois the weekend of Sept. 5 and travel to Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern the following weekend. The Notre Dame match is the first of 11 conference matches. Cincinnati travels to Chicago on Sept. 26 and the month concludes two days later at Louisville. A year ago, the BIG EAST placed five clubs in the 64-team NCAA field with DePaul facing four this season in Notre Dame, Louisville, Georgetown and Connecticut. The Blue Demons do not face West Virginia during the 2008 regular season. The final month of the regular season opens with home games against Marquette and USF the weekend of Oct. 3. DePaul then embarks on a season-long four-match road trip that takes the team to Villanova and Georgetown the weekend of Oct. 10 before traveling a week later to Connecticut and Providence. The regular season concludes with home games against Seton Hall on Oct. 24 and Rutgers on Oct. 26. The 2008 BIG EAST Championship begins with the first round on Oct. 30 and the quarterfinals on Nov. 2 at campus sites. Notre Dame is the host of the semifinals and championship Nov. 7 and 9. The top five teams in each division qualify for the league tournament. 2007 DePaul Women's Soccer Schedule September October November
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