Reyes Announces 2007 Schedule, Recruiting Class
7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
June 27, 2007
Spartanburg, S.C. - When Sept. 1 arrives, the date will not only mark the opening of the 2007 women's soccer season at USC Upstate, it will also be the first game for the program as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Spartans open the season on Sept. 1 against South Carolina State, ushering in the Division I Era.
Upstate begins its first season as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference after a 16-year stint as a member of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. The women's soccer program has been in existence since 2000 and the Spartans have enjoyed success throughout their history. Reyes, the only coach in the program's history, led the team a conference championship in just the second year of program's existence in 2001 and has averaged nearly 10 wins a season.
Upstate will play a full A-Sun schedule in 2007, taking on 11 conference opponents. The A-Sun is made up of 12 schools in five different states (Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) and several major television markets (Nashville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Orlando). The Spartans will play league contests at County University Soccer Stadium against Jacksonville, North Florida, Campbell, Kennesaw State, and Mercer. Upstate will play conference games on the road at Lipscomb (Nashville), Belmont (Nashville), Gardner-Webb (Boiling Springs, N.C.), Stetson (DeLand, Fla), Florida Gulf Coast (Ft. Myers, Fla.), and East Tennessee State (Johnson City, Tenn.).
In addition to a tough league schedule, the Spartans will face a demanding non-conference slate as well. The Spartans will battle South Carolina State, Alabama State, and Coastal Carolina at home, while hitting the road in non-conference play at Furman, Charleston Southern, The Citadel, and Radford.
Nine players return from last year's 6-10-2 squad. Six of the nine players started for the Spartans a year ago. In addition to the nine returning players, Reyes announces the 2007 recruiting class of 11 players who have either signed or committed to play for the Spartans. The 2007 recruiting class consists of Casey Cash (Woodruff, S.C.), Charlise Cunningham (Garner, N.C.), Oleva Durant (Chapin, S.C.), Kay Knepp (Severna Park, Md.), Meg Korpita (Irmo, S.C.), Brandi Manley (Tacoma, Wash.), Catherine Nolff (Columbia, S.C.), Alyssa Roegner (Shelby Township, Mich.), Lindsay Schulz (Roswell, Ga.), Samantha Spradley (Fayetteville, Ga.), and Leigh Ward (Summerville, S.C.).
