Colorado College will field one of its youngest sides in recent memory, but you wouldn't know that based upon the challenging schedule that awaits the Tigers during their 2010 campaign.
Three consecutive road contests to open the season, a trio of opponents who qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament and a full slate of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rivals are just a few of the challenges facing CC this year.
“It's a more challenging schedule than we've had the last couple of years, especially for a young team,” said Horst Richardson, who is preparing for his 44th season as head coach of the Tigers. “There are no slouches on our schedule.”
Colorado College kicks off the campaign at cross-town rival CU-Colorado Springs under the lights on Sept. 1, and the first three-game road stretch to open a season since 1999 continues when the Tigers travel to Salem, Ore., for games against Willamette University and Whitman College.
“We've been so blessed with a lot of home games in the past,” Richardson said. “In order for me to maintain good relations with the good folks who come and visit us, eventually we have to return the favor. That's what we're doing this year and we're down to 10 home games. The days of 12 and 14 home games are gone.”
CC plays the first of its 10 home games on Sept. 11 and 12 against McMurry University and Penn State Erie.
The following week, a pair of NCAA playoff opponents visit Colorado Springs when Carnegie Mellon University and Wheaton College (Ill.) invade Stewart Field for the Bill Boddington Memorial Tournament.
The Tartans of CMU are coached by Arron Lujan, a Colorado College Hall of Famer who still holds the school record with 69 career goals.
“The Boddington Tournament will be a real test for us,” Richardson said. “Playing formidable opponents will certainly help us prepare for our conference schedule.”
SCAC competition begins the final week of September when the Tigers play host to Millsaps College and Birmingham-Southern College. Colorado College is on the road for six of eight games during the month of October, including a showdown with defending conference champion Trinity University on Oct. 8 in San Antonio, Texas.
CC does have the luxury of playing four of its last five conference games at home, starting on Oct. 15 and 17 when Centre College and DePauw University make the trip west.
The final road swing of the season pits the Tigers against travel partner Austin College on Oct. 23 and long-time rival University of Dallas the following day in the last non-conference game of the year.
Colorado College enjoys a weekend off before playing host to Hendrix College and Rhodes College to close out the regular season, marking the first time the Tigers finish the season on their home field since joining the SCAC.
“In our conference, there are no automatic victories,” Richardson said. “On any given day, any team can beat anybody else.
“For our program and our players, a tougher schedule is better. We want to test ourselves against strong opponents and may the better team win.”
