Orange Men's Soccer Announces 2005 Schedule

2005 Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A revamped BIG EAST slate highlights the 2005 Syracuse men’s soccer schedule announced on Tuesday, May 24. The Orange will open the season at the SU Soccer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 2 versus Marist.

Syracuse will play 12 of its 18 regular-season games at home in 2005. In addition to Marist, a postseason participant last season, SU will host non-conference matches with Loyola (Sept. 4), Cornell (Sept. 7), Adelphi (Sept. 11), Oneonta State (Oct. 12) and Colgate (Oct. 18). The only non-conference game on the road is at Hartwick on Sept. 28.

The addition of Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and the University of South Florida to the BIG EAST for the 2005 season has increased the number of teams in the league to 16. The conference will be split into two eight-team divisions. Each team will face its divisional opponents every season. In addition, every team will play four cross-divisional games, two of which will remain the same each year. Both games within the division and crossover games will count in the league standings.

The new configuration has Syracuse in the division with Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Rutgers, St. John’s, South Florida and Villanova. SU will host the Red Storm (Oct. 5), the Bulls (Oct. 9), the Bearcats (Oct. 15) and the Wildcats (Oct. 30). Intra-divisional road contests will be played against the Blue Demons (Oct. 1), the Cardinals (Oct. 22) and the Scarlet Knights (Oct. 26).

Syracuse’s four crossover games are home against Marquette (Sept. 16), home against Notre Dame (Sept. 18), at Providence (Sept. 23) and at Connecticut (Sept. 25). The Orange will take on the Friars and the Huskies every season.

The BIG EAST Tournament will expand from eight to 10 teams beginning in 2005. There will be two first-round games played on Nov. 2 or 3. The fourth place teams from each division will host the fifth place teams from the other division. The winners of those contests will advance to the quarterfinals to play one of the divisional winners on Nov. 5 or Nov. 6. The two other quarterfinal games will have the second place team from each division hosting the third place team from the other division. The semifinals and finals will be held at the University of Connecticut on Nov. 11 and Nov. 13. The winner of the conference tournament will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs.

The Orange finished the 2004 season with a 5-12-0 overall record and a 3-7-0 mark in BIG EAST play. SU returns eight of the 11 players that tallied at least one point last season and both goalkeepers that saw significant action in 2004.

BIG EAST Divisional Alignment
Division A	Division B	DiDX
Connecticut	Cincinnati	X
Georgetown	DePaul	X
Marquette	Louisville	X
Notre Dame	Rutgers	X
Pittsburgh	St. John's	X
Providence	South Florida	X
Seton Hall	Syracuse	X
West Virginia	Villanova	X