WACO, Texas – Baylor soccer released its 18-match fall 2016 schedule Monday, featuring eight home tilts, four 2015 NCAA Tournament teams and three conference champions. BU’s foes combined for a 173-146-42 record in 2015.
The Bears will host a pair of exhibition games in Waco against the Houston Dash of the professional National Women’s Soccer League on Aug. 11 and Houston Baptist on Aug. 13 before beginning the regular season.
BU begins the 2016 campaign with a stretch of six road games over its first eight matches, beginning with away contests at Detroit Mercy on Aug. 19 and Michigan State on Aug. 21. The Bears return home to face Purdue on Aug. 26 and Incarnate Word on Aug. 28 before finishing the final four road matches of the stretch. First up is Northern Illinois on Sept. 2, followed by Illinois Chicago on Sept. 4, 2015 Southern Conference regular season champion Samford on Sept. 9 and 2015 NCAA Tournament third round participant Auburn on Sept. 11.
Baylor hosts three home matches and kicks off Big 12 play before hitting the road again for two more weekends. BU will face 2015 NCAA Tournament first round participant Washington on Sept. 16, Jackson State on Sept. 18 and Texas on Sept. 23 for the conference season and home opener.
In their final road stretch before hosting the last three regular season games at home, the Bears face away matches on Sept. 25 at Oklahoma State, Sept. 30 at 2015 Big 12 regular season champion and NCAA Elite 8 participant West Virginia, Oct. 7 at Oklahoma and Oct. 9 at 2015 Big 12 tournament champion and NCAA second round participant Texas Tech.
The Bears then return home to end the regular season with matches on Oct. 14 vs. TCU, Oct. 21 vs. Iowa State and Oct. 23 vs. Kansas.
The Big 12 Soccer Championship will commence on Nov. 2nd, and a champion will be crowned on Nov. 6th. The tournament will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, with all matches being played at Swope Soccer Village, hosted by Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. The Bears will then be looking to compete in the NCAA Tournament, which will begin on Nov. 11th at campus sites.
The Bears are coming off a 9-6-4 (4-1-2 Big 12) campaign in 2015 in which their season ended at the Big 12 Championship. No. 2 seed BU topped No. 7 TCU before falling to No. 6 seed Kansas. Baylor returns 22 players, including seven starters, while welcoming 10 newcomers for the 2016 season.
