Women's Soccer | 7/9/2019 12:24:00 PM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla.--Head coach Sarah Dacey released the 2019 Barry University women's soccer schedule today, with 15 overall games, including seven in the friendly confines of Buccaneer Field.

"We are excited about our fall schedule," Dacey said. "We open up with two very strong teams in Queens and Columbus Sate. The Cougars have been a Top-5 program for many years, so both teams will be a significant test for us. We follow opening weekend with an important regional game against Tusculum, who will also be a strong opponent. Then it is onto our conference schedule which, as we know, is extremely difficult every year. We know everyone will be gunning for us so we have to be prepared and ready for every game to be hard. We also play Stonehill College for the first time, who made the NCAA Tournament last year.

"We are looking at a difficult schedule overall and know we will have some tough tests every week along the way. It will be important for us, as a young team, to be tested and we look forward to a challenging schedule to see how good we can be."

The Bucs have four exhibition games as well this season. They play at Keiser and ASA Miami, while hosting FC Surge and the ASA Silver Storm at Buccaneer Field.

The Bucs get the season started at the Embry-Riddle Invitational on Sept. 5 and 7, taking on Queens (N.C.) and Columbus State.

On the 5th, Barry takes on former skipper Denise Brolly and the Queens Royals. The Royals went 8-7-1 last season, 4-5-1 in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). It will be the first meeting with the Royals.

The Bucs face off against Columbus State on Sept. 7. The Cougars have been one of the top teams in NCAA Division II, going 98-12-4 in the last five years. Last season, they were 18-1-2, and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals. They have won all four meetings with the Bucs, dating back to 2008.

Barry opens the home season on Sept. 13, facing the Tusulcum Pioneers. Tusculum was 8-7-3 last season, 5-3-2 in the SAC. The team have met three times perviously, splitting the matches 1-1-1.

The Bucs start defense of their Sunshine State Conference title on Sept. 21 on the road against the Tampa Spartans. Tampa went 7-6-4 last season, 5-3-2 in the SSC. The Bucs, thanks to domination early and recently in the series, hold a 19-9-3 edge over the Spartans. Barry won the first nine games played and have won the last seven, including a 1-0 win at Buccaneer Field last season.

Barry hosts Florida Tech on Sept. 28. The Panthers went 8-9-1 last year, 5-5-0 in the SSC, including a 2-1 loss to the Bucs in Melbourne, Fla. Barry leads the all-time series 9-8-5, winning five of the last seven games.

On Oct. 2, the Bucs face Nova Southeastern in a non-conference game at the NSU Soccer Complex. The Sharks came in second to Barry last year in both the regular season and the SSC Tournament, finishing 13-7-1 and 7-2-1 in the conference. The teams met three times last year, with Barry winning twice against a draw. Overall, Barry is 21-6-4 against the Sharks, after winning the first 14 games in the series by a combined 69-2.

The Bucs head back up to Daytona Beach, Fla., on Oct. 5 to take on the Eagles of Embry-Riddle. The Eagles were 8-8-0, 5-5-0 in the SSC, last season. Two losses came to the Bucs by a combined 9-0, and they now lead the series 3-1-1.

Barry takes on arch-rival Lynn on Oct. 9 at Bobby Campbell Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. The Knights are coming off a 4-10-2 campaign, 2-7-1 in the SSC, including a 3-0 loss to the Bucs. Barry leads the all-time series 26-13-2, winning eight of the first nine and eight of the last nine.

The Bucs host the Saint Leo Lions on Oct. 12. The Lions went 3-10-2 last year, just 1-7-2 in the conference, falling 2-0 to Barry. The Bucs, who have won seven of the last nine, hold a 15-6-1 edge in the series.

The Stonehill Skyhawks visit The Shores on Oct. 14 for the first time ever in a non-conference tilt. The Skyhawks had a fine season going last year, before dropping their final three games to finish at 13-7-0, 10-4-0 in the Northeast-10.

The Bucs dive back into SSC play for the final five games, starting with a road trip to Lakeland, Fla., to face the Lady Mocs of Florida Southern on Oct. 19. The Mocs were 5-10-1, 3-7-0 in the SSC last season, including a 4-0 loss to the Bucs to close the season. Overall, the Bucs hold a 16-7-1 edge in the series, including the last six in a row.

The Bucs host Nova Southeastern for the conference game on Oct. 23, then head out on Oct. 30 to face the Rollins Tars in Winter Park, Fla. The Tars went 9-4-5 last season, 6-2-2 in the SSC and made the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last decade. Barry, who has won five times in the last six games against one draw, leads the all-time series 21-7-3.

The final two games come at home against Eckerd on Nov. 2 and Palm Beach Atlantic on Nov. 5. The Tritions lost 3-0 to the Bucs last season, finishing 6-8-1 and 3-7-0 in the SSC. The Bucs are 25-2-1 against the Tritons all-time and have won six in a row.

Nov. 5 sees the Sailfish visiting the friendly confines. They posted an 8-7-2 record last season, 4-5-1 in the SSC for their best conference finish. They fell 4-1 to the Bucs and have yet to best the Bucs in 15 matches.

The Bucs will celebrate the five members of the 2019 Class before the game against the Sailfish. Ingrid Lian, Sofia de la Puente, Sarah Wignall, Sophia Sharos, and Nicole Rafols, who have led the Bucs to a 51-11-6 record so far during their careers, will be playing in their final regular season game at Buccaneer Field.

The Sunshine State Conference Tournament runs Nov. 12-17 at campus sites. NCAA Tournament bids are announced on Nov. 18 with the finals back in Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Dec. 14.