<div class="rich clearfix"> <p><strong>ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. &ndash;</strong> Season-opening games on the road against 2011 NCAA Tournament teams Marquette and Wisconsin-Milwaukee highlight a challenging 2012 schedule for the St. Bonaventure women's soccer team as announced by head coach Manoj Khettry.<br /><br />In all, the Bonnies will face four NCAA Tournament teams from last year, three Big East clubs and four other squads which qualified for their respective conference tournaments (A-10 excluded) last campaign.<br /><br />"This will be the toughest non-conference schedule that we have faced while I have been the head coach at Bonaventure," said seventh-year manager Manoj Khettry. "Our conference slate isn't any easier as we play three teams which made it to the Atlantic 10 Championship and two of those teams played in the NCAA Tournament. Even those teams which did not make it to the A-10 Championship are solid teams and will be difficult games."<br /><br />The season commences with that upper midwest road trip to Marquette on Aug. 17 and then Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Aug. 19. Marquette finished last year at 18-4 overall and ranked No. 12 in the nation after climbing as high as No. 5 at one point during the season. The Golden Eagles won their opening NCAA Tournament game before bowing out in the second round against Penn State. Wisconsin-Milwaukee is the reigning Horizon League Champions, having posted a 19-3 record last season and finished the year ranked No. 15 in the country after cracking the top-10 during the regular season. The Panthers also won their NCAA Tournament first-round game before losing to Ohio State in the second round.<br /><br />Bona opens the home portion of its schedule on Aug. 24 against Big East foe Pittsburgh. The two clubs have not met since 2009, when the Panthers claimed at 4-0 victory. Following the Pitt match, the Brown and White completes its home-opening weekend with Big 4 rival University at Buffalo on Aug. 26. The Bonnies battled out a 3-2 road victory over the Bulls last season.<br /><br />Bonaventure remains at home the following weekend to entertain Syracuse on Aug. 31 and Patriot League member Bucknell on Sept. 2. The Bonnies defeated the Bison, 1-0, in the season opener last year.<br /><br />Following four straight games at McGraw-Jennings Field, SBU hits the road for its next two over a two-week stretch. The Bonnies head to Long Island to face a Hofstra team which went 10-8 last season on Sept. 7 before battling Binghamton on Sept. 14.<br /><br />The non-conference slate concludes the following weekend with a pair of matchups against Little Three rivals Niagara and Canisius. St. Bona hosts the Purple Eagles on Sept. 21 before traveling to the Griffs on Sept. 23. SBU defeated Niagara, 2-0, last year and fell to Canisius, 4-3.<br /><br />A-10 action begins with a stern road test against last season's surprise, La Salle, on Sept. 28. The Explorers finished last year ranked inside the top-25 in the nation after going 15-2-3 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The club completes the road trip with a visit to Fordham on Sept. 30.<br /><br />Bonaventure faces Temple in its league home opener on Oct. 5 before closing the weekend with a meeting versus Saint Joseph's on Oct. 7. The Bonnies tied the Owls, 0-0, last year and earned a 2-0 triumph over the Hawks which clinched a postseason berth for them.<br /><br />The rivalry between Duquesne and St. Bonaventure is renewed the following weekend on a Friday night in Pittsburgh as the Dukes and Bonnies square off on Oct. 12. SBU took last year's meeting, 2-1.<br /><br />The final road trip of the year begins against perennial league power Dayton on Oct. 19 and concludes versus Xavier on Oct. 21. The Flyers claimed their third consecutive A-10 title last year en route to a 19-3 record and NCAA Tournament appearance.<br /><br />St. Bonaventure wraps up its regular season with a pair of home games against Massachusetts on Oct. 26 and Rhode Island on Oct. 28. The Bonnies will be looking for revenge as UMass ended their season in the A-10 Championship last year. The Minutewomen went 14-5-2 last year before losing to Dayton in the A-10 Championship title game.<br /><br />"As everyone who is familiar with our conference knows, there are no "gimmes" &ndash; every game is typically a one-goal game and a battle," Khettry commented on his team's league schedule. "Our season will be dictated by how fit our players are when they come into preseason, if we can find consistent goal scoring and how quickly one of our goalkeepers establishes that she will be the starter and a leader. We're going to have to defend very well and be very consistent in order to be successful this season."<br /><br />The Bonnies have made four consecutive appearances in the A-10 Championship. If they are to make a fifth, it will take place Nov. 1-4 in Kingston, R.I.</p> </div>