The Alabama State women's soccer team schedule has been released for the 2016 fall season as the SWAC Championship runner up will be gearing up to contend for another title run.
 
The Lady Hornets (9-11-1, 7-3 SWAC in 2015) kick start their season with a Black & Gold intrasquad game on Saturday, August 13 from the ASU Soccer Complex at 6 p.m.
 
The '16 season features one exhibition match followed by 19 regular season matches (10 at home) before the SWAC Tournament begins in early November.
 
The season opener is set for Friday, August 19 on the road at Georgia State in Atlanta at 6 p.m. CT. 
 
Alabama State is scheduled to play its home opener on Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m. against Austin Peay.
 
The nonconference portion of their schedule continues with seven other match ups at Troy (Aug. 30), at Jacksonville (Sept. 2), at North Florida (Sept. 4), and home dates versus Lipscomb (Sept. 9), Jacksonville State (Sept. 11), Faulkner (Sept. 16) and Gardner-Webb (Sept. 18). 
 
"I am really pleased with the type of out of conference schedule we have put together," said ASU head coach Jodie Smith.  "We will play eight teams from really emerging soccer conferences: the Sun Belt, Atlantic Sun, OVC and the Big South. Our players want to be challenged and this schedule of teams will do just that!"
 
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play starts on Friday, Sept. 23 with a visit to Texas to take on Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern (Sept. 25).
 
The Lady Hornets will play Howard in a rematch of last season's SWAC Championship match.
 
It will be a designated "road" match for ASU in Birmingham on Oct. 2 before hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Oct. 7) and Grambling State (Oct. 9) at home.
 
The conference road schedule continues with matches at Southern (Oct. 14) and at Jackson State (Oct. 16) and then concludes with three home matches against Mississippi Valley State (Oct. 21), Alcorn State (Oct. 23) and a Thursday match against Alabama A&M (Oct. 27).
 
"The SWAC continues to improve and the road to the championship and a NCAA Appearance is always a difficult one," Smith said.  "So, the team will have to be ready each and every weekend."
 
#GOHORNETS#