VMI women’s soccer announces 2016 schedule

The VMI women’s soccer program has announced its 2016 schedule. The schedule includes three first-time opponents.

The 2016 Keydets will open with two exhibitions, August 10 against Old Dominion and August 15 against Liberty. Both of those contests will come on the road.

The regular season starts at South Carolina State on August 19, and the home schedule begins with an August 23 tilt against second-year program Hampton. The Keydets set numerous school and conference records last year in a 16-0 win against the Lady Pirates at Patchin Field.

VMI then plays host to Eastern Kentucky on August 27 at 2 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the Keydets and a EKU team that went 4-14 last season, including a 4-6 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.

VMI’s schedule resumes with a Sept. 2 road game at Saint Peter’s before the Keydets come home for a three-match homestand thatbegins with another first-time opponent, IUPUI. The Jaguars went 6-9-3 last season and come to VMI out of the Summit League.

Matchups with Campbell (Sept. 9) and Mount St. Mary’s (Sept. 11) follow, before the Keydets play their final first-time opponent of 2016, Saint Francis (Pa.) on the road. The game in Loretto, Pa. will take place on Sept. 16. The Red Flash went winless last year in non-conference action, but played a schedule that included Cincinnati, Pitt and a ranked DePaul team.

The Keydets wrap up their non-conference slate with a Sept. 18 tilt against Howard before beginning SoCon play at home against UNCG on Sept. 25. The month concludes with a Sept. 30 contest against perennial conference threat Furman, before VMI opens October by welcoming Wofford on Oct. 2.

The Keydets then embark upon their longest road trip of the season, a four-game run that begins Oct. 7 at Western Carolina. Matchups at ETSU (Oct. 9), Mercer (Oct. 14) and The Citadel (Oct. 16) follow, before the regular season wraps up at home against Chattanooga (Oct. 21) and Samford (Oct. 23).

The first round of the 2016 Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship is currently scheduled for Oct. 26 on campus sites. Remaining rounds follow Nov. 1 and Nov. 4-6.