PISCATAWAY, NJ - The Rutgers women's soccer team will play 19 regular-season matches during the 2004 campaign, including a Sept. 10 home contest against 2001 NCAA champion Santa Clara, head coach Glenn Crooks has announced.

The Scarlet Knights will take on the nine-time national semifinalist Broncos on the first day of the Rutgers Classic. In all, Rutgers will host 10 matches at Yurcak Field, and will play a total of nine teams from the 2003 NCAA Championship field, including the national runner-up (Connecticut), two Elite Eight teams (Santa Clara, Florida) and two Sweet Sixteen programs (West Virginia, Villanova).

Rutgers will begin the season with a pair of home dates, taking on Drexel Friday, Aug. 27, at 7:00 p.m. and Fairleigh Dickinson Sunday, Aug. 29, at 7:00 p.m. The Scarlet Knights will then travel to the West Coast, playing at Loyola Marymount Friday, Sept. 3, and USC Sunday, Sept. 5.

The Scarlet Knights will return to Piscataway to host the Rutgers Classic Sept. 10-12. Rhode Island will play Michigan State at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by the Rutgers-Santa Clara match at 8:00 p.m. On Sunday, the 2003 NCAA quarterfinalist Broncos will face the Rams at 12:00 p.m., followed by Rutgers and Michigan State at 2:30 p.m.

Following a Sept. 17 match at 2003 NCAA quarterfinalist Florida, RU will return home to begin BIG EAST Conference play against Seton Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7:00 p.m. Following five years of divisional play, the BIG EAST will abandon the divisions for the 2004 season, playing as a 12-team league. Each school will play 10 of the other 11 members during the regular season, and the top eight teams will qualify for the 2004 BIG EAST Championship.

RU will play at Connecticut, the national runner-up a year ago, on Sept. 25. The Scarlet Knights will host Monmouth on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 7:00 p.m. before traveling to Villanova, a team that advanced to the third round of the 2003 NCAA Championship, Oct. 1. Rutgers will host Boston College Sunday, Oct. 3, at 11:00 a.m., then finish its non-conference slate with a trip to Princeton, NJ, to take on the in-state rival Tigers on Oct. 5.

Rutgers will get back to league action with a match at Georgetown Oct. 8 and a home date against Syracuse Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1:00 p.m. Following an Oct. 13 contest at St. John's, the Scarlet Knights will finish their home schedule with a pair of BIG EAST foes, taking on West Virginia, another 2003 third-round NCAA team, Friday, Oct. 15, at 7:00 p.m. and Pittsburgh Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1:00 p.m. Rutgers will wrap up the regular season Oct. 22 at Notre Dame.

The Rutgers women's soccer team (10-7-5, 3-2-1 BIG EAST) advanced to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament and the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament.

2004 Rutgers Women's Soccer Schedule

Fri., Aug. 27 DREXEL 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 29 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 3 at Loyola Marymount 4:00 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 5 at USC 1:00 p.m.
RUTGERS CLASSIC
Fri., Sept. 10 Michigan State vs. Rhode Island 5:30 p.m.
RUTGERS vs. SANTA CLARA 8:00 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 12 Rhode Island vs. Santa Clara 12:00 p.m.
RUTGERS vs. MICHIGAN STATE 2:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 17 at Florida 8:00 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 22 SETON HALL* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 25 at Connecticut* 7:00 p.m.
Tues., Sept. 28 MONMOUTH 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 1 at Villanova* 4:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 3 BOSTON COLLEGE* 11:00 a.m.
Tues., Oct. 5 at Princeton 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 8 at Georgetown* 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 10 SYRACUSE* 1:00 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 13 at St. John's* 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 15 WEST VIRGINIA* 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 17 PITTSBURGH* 1:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 at Notre Dame* 7:30 p.m.
Sat.-Sun., Oct. 30-31

BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals (campus sites)
Fri., Nov. 5 BIG EAST Tournament semifinals (Storrs, CT)
Sun., Nov. 7 BIG EAST Tournament Final (Storrs, CT)

BOLD CAPS indicate home match
All times are local to the host site
* indicates BIG EAST Conference match