IRVINE, Calif. --- Head Coach Scott Juniper, has announced the 2012 schedule today for the UC Irvine Anteaters. The 20 games consist of nine games in the Big West Conference and eleven non-conference contests, five of which are against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams.
"We are at a point in our program's development where we are excited to play the most competitive teams out there. Our team has played some of our best stuff in games against big teams. Wins against Texas A&M and Portland, a tie on the road against Santa Clara, and a high level performance in a tight game against Stanford are a few examples of that from 2011. Those games came on top of benchmark wins against Arizona State, Oregon State, and ACC champions Wake Forest in 2010." said Juniper.
The Anteaters kick off the season this year with four straight home games against two teams each representing the West Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference. All four will certainly provide a great early test for a team that just graduated ten seniors. The BYU Cougars will make their way to Anteater Stadium (Aug. 17) to open the 2012 slate after finishing fourth in the West Coast Conference and just missing out on making the NCAA Tournament field as well. Three days later, Texas A&M (Aug. 20) comes to town for Monday Night Futbol as the Aggies, who finished ranked 21st in the nation and made the NCAA Tournament, will be looking to avenge last year's 1-0 defeat to UC Irvine.
Local Southern California school, Loyola Marymount (Aug.24), travels down the 405 Freeway as these two teams square off for the first time since the 2008 season. The second game of the weekend is against Auburn (Aug. 26) and marks the first time in the history the program that the `Eaters will play the Tigers. Auburn are the defending SEC Tournament Champions and are coming off their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The squad then hits the road for nine straight games that will take them right into the start of Big West Conference play. Oregon is the first destination on the itinerary and will see UCI make stops in Eugene and Corvallis to take on Pac-12 opponents Oregon (Aug. 31) and Oregon State (Sept. 2). Oregon State is coming off another NCAA Tournament appearance and haven't faced the 'Eaters since they lost 1-0 in 2010 at Anteater Stadium.
UC Irvine takes to the skies once again as they head to Colorado for the Denver Invitational. They will kick off the tournament against Cincinnati (Sept. 7) marking the first time in Coach Juniper's tenure that his squad will face a team from the Big East Conference. The weekend concludes when UCI steps on the pitch against tournament host, Denver (Sept. 9), marking the first time these two teams will have ever faced each other in the history of their programs.
The Anteaters return home to Southern California as they reach the middle portion of their nine straight road games and head up to Los Angeles as part of the UCLA Tournament. UC Irvine takes on California native and familiar opponent, Pepperdine (Sept. 14). The Waves made the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and finished the season ranked tenth in the country. Princeton rounds out the weekend for UCI and marks the first time since 2005 an Ivy League school has made it's way onto the schedule.
In its last non-conference game of the season, UC Irvine will head down to San Diego State (Sept. 21) as it looks to begin its conference rivalry a year early against the Aztecs, which will join the Big West in the fall of 2013.
For the second consecutive season, UCI's Big West title defense begins on the road as the Anteaters face Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 28), and will make the trip east out to UC Riverside (Sept. 30). The home conference schedule opens with Cal Poly (Oct. 5) and UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 7) visiting Anteater Stadium as the 'Eaters look to sweep the weekend series for the third consecutive year.
With a season filled of weekend road trips, UC Irvine concludes it with a drive up to Pacific (Oct. 12) for the last time as the Tigers will be departing for the West Coast Conference in 2013. The team will end the trip with an afternoon clash against UC Davis (Oct. 14). UCI looks to avenge its 1-0 loss in the 2011 Big West Tournament Final against Black & Blue Series rival Long Beach State (Oct. 20) under their newly lighted George Allen Field.
The Big West Conference weekend finales have Cal State Northridge (Oct. 26) making a visit to Irvine for a match and will conclude with a showdown against Hawaii (Oct. 30).
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