University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Soccer Slate Announced
4/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Cajuns Soccer Slate Announced
Monday, April 16, 2002
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun soccer team will enjoy eight home games in 2002, and it will welcome a new home as well.
Louisiana-Lafayette Director of Athletics Nelson Schexnayder, head soccer coach Dave Poggi and new football coach Rickey Bustle have announced the soccer team will use Cajun Field as its home facility for 2002.
For their first two seasons, the Cajuns played at Moore Park in Carencro.
"Using Cajun Field will allow us to have night games," Poggi said. "That will help accommodate visiting teams and officials, fans and my athletes. The city and the Lafayette Youth Soccer Association have been very gracious in accommodating us in the past, but it feels real good to be coming home (on campus)."
In its Cajun Field debut, the squad will host Northwestern State Sept. 13. Other September home games include the 24th against Nicholls State and the 29th against Centenary.
October will bring some of the nation's better programs to Lafayette. The Cajuns will host Southern Mississippi on Oct. 4 and 2001 NCAA Tournament Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion Denver comes to town Oct. 20.
The Cajuns will wrap up the home season Nov. 1 against LSU.
"It couldn't be a better solution for our program," said Poggi, whose team went 6-10 overall and 4-4 at home last year. "We are very excited about our preliminary plans for the complex."
Louisiana-Lafayette will open its third season Aug. 30 at Baylor in the Bears' Labor Day Classic Tournament. The Cajuns' first four games will be on the road, as they will also meet TCU at the event, followed by road tilts at Oklahoma State and Oral Roberts.
