Six First-Time Opponents Appear on Schedule

Gophers Open Against Shoremen, Bullets Back-to-Back

TOWSON, Md. — Six first-time opponents appear on Goucher's 2010 schedule, which was released in its entirety today by head coach Kyle Hannan.

The Gophers, who finished with a 10-5 record and were the No. 1 seed in the Landmark Conference postseason tournament last year, launch their 19th season on February 27 against Washington (Md.). Just four days later they will take on another perennially strong program out of the Centennial Conference when they travel to play Gettysburg.

The Gophers have never faced the Shoremen or Bullets, nor have they previously encountered either of the first two opponents they will host either in Gopher Stadium or on the new synthetic turf on Beldon Field: King's on March 7 or Gordon on March 9.

The remaining two first-time opponents on the 2010 schedule are New England College and Eastern Connecticut State.

Before the Gophers take on Susquehanna in their first Landmark Conference game of the season, they will have gone head-to-head with teams from the following six conferences: Capital Athletic (Mary Washington), Centennial (Gettysburg, Washington), Commonwealth Coast (Gordon, New England), Little East (Eastern Connecticut St.), Middle Atlantic (King's) and Old Dominion Athletic (Randolph-Macon).

"We certainly feel it's in our best interest to schedule as many games against some of the top programs in Division III as we can and it's obvious that we've done that," said Hannan, who is in his 10th season at Goucher. "There are quite a few new faces on the schedule, but still some teams that we've had a good relationship with over the years and want to continue to play on a regular basis. This is definitely the most challenging schedule we've had since I've been at Goucher and I think it's the best way to prepare us for making a run at a Landmark Conference title."

For Goucher's 2010 schedule, click here.