RICHMOND, Ky. – The inaugural season of Eastern Kentucky women’s soccer opens in Richmond at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 28 when the Colonels make their varsity debut by hosting Chattanooga at Model Soccer Field on the EKU campus. All fans enjoy FREE admission to every home match during the inaugural campaign.

Eastern head coach Lindsay Basalyga and her 23-woman roster will play a 17-match schedule this fall, a slate the features Kentucky and NCAA Tournament teams Furman and Eastern Illinois.

“I am very excited about our demanding non-conference schedule,” Basalyga said. “I think it will prepare us well for our first year against a tough Ohio Valley Conference and set the tone for the future of the program. Playing Kentucky so early in our history is also very exciting.”

The 2005 schedule includes five home matches, all to be played at Model Soccer Field. In addition to Chattanooga, the Colonels host Samford (Sept. 23), Jacksonville State (Sept. 25), Eastern Illinois (Oct. 7) and Southeast Missouri (Oct. 9) in Ohio Valley Conference contests.

“This is a wonderful time for Eastern Athletics,” first-year athletic director Mark Sandy said. “The inaugural season for women’s soccer brings a new group of student-athletes to campus with an air of excitement and anticipation. We are looking forward to the first season.”

Following their season opener, EKU travels to Lexington to face Kentucky on August 31 at 7:30 p.m. A trip to Indianapolis to face Butler leads the Colonels into two regular-season tournaments, the JU Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. and the Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C.

EKU entertains Samford for the first OVC match in program history at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. That weekend’s action concludes with a 1 p.m. contest against Jacksonville State on Sunday, Sept. 25.

Seven consecutive OVC matches lead EKU to the season-finale at Xavier in Cincinnati. The Colonels and Musketeers begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will be played the first week of November on campus sites.