LAKELAND, Fla.- The No. 9 ranked Southeastern women's soccer team has released their 2023 slate which consists of 17 countable contests including four programs that concluded last season in the NAIA Top 25.
Southeastern finished as the Sun Conference Tournament Runner-Up before advancing to the NAIA Tournament Opening Round and concluding the season with a 14-4-2 record after a 1-0 loss to Westmont.
Head coach
Caleb Roberts stated, "Our schedule is now limited to the games we can play outside of our conference but within our conference we will play numerous Top 25 opponents. Out of conference, we are matched up against two Top 10 opponents who battle for a national title annually. I think we are playing another extremely tough schedule."
The new year will kickoff with a home contest Brewton Parker College on the August 30
th.
The Fire will then head to Orange Beach, Ala. where they will take on two Top 25 programs from last season beginning with No. 8 University of Tennessee-Southern on September 8
th. Two days later, Southeastern will face off against No. 5 ranked William Carey to conclude their road trip.
Last season for the Fire was highlighted by an upset victory at home over the two-time defending national champions, William Carey University after erasing a two-goal second half deficit to take a 5-4 win.
The Sun Conference season will begin on September 13
th as they travel to Ave Maria University for a 7 p.m. contest.
Regarding the conference schedule, Roberts stated, "We are excited for another tough conference schedule as we are now playing each opponent home and away. The Sun Conference continues to get stronger each year and playing each team twice brings the overall level of competitiveness throughout the conference to a new level."
The first home SUN contest for the Fire will be a rematch of last season's SUN Tournament Championship game as they host Keiser University on the 16
th.
Another home SUN contest will follow as they face off against St. Thomas University on September 20
th.
The Fire will then travel to Lake Wales, Fla. for their first contest against Warner University on the 23
rd.
Southeastern will return home prior to two consecutive road contests, hosting Florida Memorial on September 27
th before heading to Webber International for a 3:30 p.m. game on the 30
th.
October will open on the 4
th as the Fire travels to SCAD-Savannah for a 7 p.m. contest for a rematch of last seasons' SUN semifinal match.
The Fire will then trade off home and away contests for the remainder of the regular season beginning with the second matchup of the year against the Gyrenes on October 7
th.
Three contests in a one-week span will consist of a road match against St. Thomas on the 11
th and will be followed by a home match against Warner University on the 14
th. Four days later, the Fire will head to the national powerhouse, Keiser, for their final matchup of the regular season.
The final week of the regular season will begin with a home match against the Warriors on the 21
st, followed by a contest in Miami Gardens against Florida Memorial.
The regular season will conclude with a home contest against the Bees on October 28
th.
"The keys to our season is how we can continue to elevate our game within our own team. We are striving to maintain a top status in the NAIA and this schedule will present numerous challenges throughout the season to help us be prepared for the postseason," stated Roberts.
Tickets for home contests will go on schedule in August.
