July 2, 2008
2008 Women's Soccer Quick Facts 
Los Angeles, CA - Seven games against 2007 NCAA Tournament participants highlight the 2008 Loyola Marymount women's soccer schedule, Head Coach Joe Mallia announced Wednesday. The Lions will face three of the last four national champions in Notre Dame (2004), Portland (2005), and defending champs Southern California.
"This will be a schedule that is both challenging and exciting. From beginning to end there is not an easy game on this schedule," Mallia said. "The non-conference portion of our schedule will prepare us for conference play and our players will be up for it. As we continue to strive to win West Coast Conference championships and compete at a national level it is important for us to challenge ourselves. This schedule will surely help us grow as a program."
The Lions will see an eighth NCAA Tournament foe before the season even gets underway as they host Texas in an exhibition match at Sullivan Field on August 16. The regular season begins in earnest the following Friday with a visit from UNLV in the home opener. The Lions then travel to South Bend, IN, for the Notre Dame adidas Classic, where they will confront perennial powers Notre Dame and West Virginia. The 2004 National Champions, Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA College Cup in 2007, losing to Florida State in the national semifinals, while West Virginia made it to the quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual national champions USC. LMU will face hosts Notre Dame on August 29 and West Virginia on August 31.
LMU returns to California for the next four matches. The Lions host UC Irvine on September 5 and Harvard on September 7 before traveling to Cal State Bakersfield on September 12. A home match against Utah on September 14 leads into a three-game road trip, starting at the Oklahoma State Tournament September 19-21. The third NCAA tournament participant looms in hosts Oklahoma State on the 19th, with Oral Roberts closing out the tournament on Sunday. Then it is back to Los Angeles for the showdown at defending NCAA champs USC on September 26.
Two non-conference matches remain before West Coast Conference play commences. LMU hosts Cal State Northridge on October 3 and makes the quick trip down to San Diego State on October 5.
Local rivals Pepperdine kick off the WCC schedule when they visit Sullivan Field on October 11. LMU then travels to Portland to take on the NCAA quarterfinalists on October 17, followed by Gonzaga on October 19. The season draws to an end with three home matches in the final four contests. LMU hosts back-to-back games against NCAA tournament teams in Santa Clara (October 24) and San Diego (October 26). On November 2, the Lions take their final road trip up to San Francisco then close out the regular season at home on November 8 against Saint Mary's.
