SHREVEPORT, La. - The Centenary College Gents soccer team and third-year head coach Emmett Rutkowski announced the 2016 schedule Wednesday, May 11. The slate includes nine home games and three contests against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams.
"The upcoming fall season will provide our squad a great opportunity to compete with some very tough teams regionally and in conference," explained Rutkowski. "We will have the biggest incoming class the program has seen in years and one of the most talented. We will be inexperienced, but hungry to win games and get results. Assistant coach Kyle Symczak and I have been working on this class for the last two years, and I am really happy to see it come together so we can build on last season."
The Gents begin the season with 6-of-8 games on the road, including the lid-lifter at Belhaven on September 1. After Centenary's home opener against Howard Payne, the Maroon and White play three matches on the road in less than four days. The stretch begins against I-20 rival LeTourneau in Longview, Texas, September 6. The Gents open up Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play September 9 at Austin College, before returning to the pitch the next day in Sherman, Texas, against McMurry.
In does not get any easier for Centenary despite returning to Mayo Field. The Gents welcome NCAA qualifier Millsaps on September 13. After road games at Southwestern (September 16) and Texas Lutheran (September 18), Centenary will return to the pitch at Mayo for four of the next six games. Schreiner and 2015 SCAC Champion Trinity visit Shreveport on Friday and Sunday, September 23 and 25.
The Gents close out September with a trip to Colorado College on the 30th before opening October with a visit to Dallas on the 2nd.
Southwestern and Texas Lutheran make the return trip to Mayo Field Friday and Sunday, October 7 and 9. Centenary travels to Schreiner and Trinity October 14 and 16 to close out conference road play.
Colorado College and Dallas visits Centenary Friday and Sunday, October 21 and 23. The Maroon and White play its final road game of the season for a non-conference contest at Hendrix October 25.
Centenary welcomes Austin College for its final home game October 29.
The top-6 of the SCAC qualifies for the 2016 SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament, hosted by Austin College in Sherman, Texas, November 4-6.
