Men's Soccer to Take Canadian Trip

Aug. 14, 2002

AMHERST, Mass. - The men's soccer team will head to Canada to play five games in five days against select Canadian teams, it was announced Tuesday.

Head Coach Sam Koch believes the trip will give the Minutemen valuable preseason experience heading into the upcoming season.

"We are taking the trip for a number of reasons," said Koch. "The NCAA allows a foreign trip every four years, so we thought we should take advantage. We were trying to change the venue of our preseason. Also, for a young team such as ours, gaining experience in real game situations is very important. Finally, Montreal is a great city, and we are really looking forward to making the trip."

The Minutemen will play two, possibly three, Canadian university teams and two club teams from the Montreal area.

"There are very good club teams in the area," added Koch. "We wanted to play against the best competition we could. It will be a very good measuring stick of where we are right now and what we need to work on."

The Minutemen return 15 letterwinners from last year's team that went 15-6-1 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. UMass, which received votes in the College Soccer News preseason national soccer poll, opens the season with an exhibition contest against 11th-ranked Rutgers on Sunday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m. in Chicopee, Mass. The regular-season opener is on Friday, August 30, against Towson at the Navy Tournament in Annapolis, Md.

* Sunday, August 18 TBA 9:00 p.m.
* Monday, August 19 Dynamo Soccer Club 9:00 p.m.
* Tuesday, August 20 McGill University 6:00 p.m.
* Wednesday, August 21 Lakers Soccer Club 6:00 p.m.
* Thursday, August 22 University of Montreal 9:00 p.m.

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University of Massachusets Athletics

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