MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—For the first time in school history, the Barry University women’s soccer team will not venture outside the state of Florida in 2013. The Bucs have nine home games and their only out-of-conference game on the road comes at Flagler.
The Bucs, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 for the 19th time in program history, kick off the season with three straight home games. The Georgia College Bobcats visit Buccaneer Field in the season opener on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7:00 pm. The Bobcats went 10-8-1 in 2012 and finished seventh in the Peachbelt Conference. The meeting will be the first for the teams in Miami Shores. After dropping the first game in Milledgeville, Ga., the Bucs have won the last two games by identical 3-0 scores, including one in 2010 in Tampa.
The West Georgia Wolves visit the friendly confines on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 pm. The Wolves finished sixth in the Gulf South Conference after a 4-9-3 campaign in 2012. They will also be making their first trip to Miami Shores and looking for their first win against the Bucs who hold a 2-0 lead in the series.
Regular foe Palm Beach Atlantic comes to town on Friday, Sept. 13. The Sailfish, an independent, went 10-5-1 last year. The Bucs hold a 9-0 edge in the series, including 6-0 in Miami Shores.
The Bucs take to the road for the first time on Sunday, Sept. 15, traveling to St. Augustine, Fla., to face the Saints of Flagler College. The Saints went 7-7-3 in 2012 and finished sixth in the Peachbelt. Barry has won both games in the series, including a 1-0 win at Saints Field in 2008.
Three of the Bucs seven losses in 2012 came to the Tampa Spartans and the Bucs get their first chance to avenge them on Wednesday, Sept. 18 when the Spartans come to town for a non-conference tilt. Though the Spartans have won the last four meetings, the Bucs still hold a 12-8 edge in the series dating back to 1998.
After the Spartans, the Bucs play two more non-conference road games against Sunshine State Conference foes, traveling to Florida Tech on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Eckerd on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The Panthers, who went 7-6-3 last year and finished eighth in the league, are the only SSC school to hold the series edge over the Bucs, 5-4-1. Barry snapped a five-game losing streak last year with a 1-0 win in Melbourne.
The Tritons, who went 10-7-3 and finished tied with Barry and Lynn for fifth in the SSC, had never beaten the Bucs before last season, losing 19 straight. But they managed a win and a tie last year in two games.
The Bucs close the non-conference portion of the slate with a home match against arch-rival Lynn on Saturday, Sept. 28. They split a pair of 2-1 games last year, with each winning on their opponent’s home field. The Bucs hold a 20-12-2 edge in the series, including 12-4-1 at Buccaneer Field.
The SSC opener comes on the road at Florida Southern on Saturday, Oct. 5. Despite a 6-8-4 mark in 2012, the Moccasins finished tied for third in the league. The Bucs dominated the early series and hold a 9-6-1 edge, but the Mocs had won six in a row before last year’s 1-0 win in Miami Shores.
Another local rival, the Nova Southeastern Sharks, come calling on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The Sharks, who tied the Mocs for third place last year, compiled a 4-8-3 overall mark in 2012. Barry had won 14 straight at the start of the series, including 11 straight shutouts, but holds a 15-4-2 edge going into this year. Last year, the teams tied 2-2 in Davie.
The Rollins Tars (12-5-2), 2012 SSC regular season champs, have gotten the best of the Bucs lately, winning six in a row, but Barry looks to snap that streak when they visit Sandspur Field on Saturday, Oct. 12. The series is the oldest for the Bucs among SSC opponents, dating back to the first year of the program in 1984 and the Bucs are on top 15-6-2. Nine of those wins have come in Winter Park.
The Saint Leo Lions (2-12-2), who went from first to worst in 2012, visit Miami Shores on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The Bucs hold a 10-4-1 edge, including a 6-2 mark at home, in the series that started in 2000.
The last four games come against Florida Tech (Oct. 19) and Eckerd (Nov. 2) at home and Lynn (Oct. 22) and Tampa (Oct. 26) on the road. The Eckerd game marks Senior Night 2013, with four players marking their last home game against the Tritons.
The Sunshine State Conference Tournament starts on Nov. 5 with the finals on Nov. 10, while the NCAA Tournament starts on Nov. 14. The Bucs have seven starters and 15 letterwinners back as they look for another post-season bid.