Posted: Mar 31, 2016
2016 Schedule
Fayette, Mo. Central Methodist University head men's soccer coach Alex Nichols announced on Wednesday his teams' 2016 regular season schedule, which features 18 games total, ten of which will be played at Davis Field.
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"We want a tough schedule and we have it," said Nichols. "We had it last year and we have another tough schedule this year." �
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Central Methodist will begin 2016 with six non-conference games, four of which will be played at Davis Field. Overall, the Eagles schedule features six games against NAIA Top 25 teams from a year ago, including #25 Hastings College.
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"Our non-conference is a good�schedule," added Nichols. "William Woods and Hannibal are always good programs from the American Midwest Conference."
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Nichols continued saying, "We know those games will be very�competitive�matches, and we have added Hastings, who finished in the Top 25 last season to our non-conference schedule. We are excited about them coming in. Our schedule will be one of the most competitive�schedules�in the NAIA without�question."
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Following non-conference play, Central Methodist will open up Heart of America Athletic Conference play on September 17th at home against Graceland University. The Heart welcomes two new schools into the conference beginning in 2016-17, they are Clarke University and Mount Mercy University. The Heart finished the 2015 season with three teams ranked in the Top-15 of the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll.
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"The Heart is the toughest conference in the NAIA," said Nichols. "Mount Mercy is�typically�a Top-30 team in the Nation for�men's�soccer. They made it to the National Tournament last year, and they will add another level of difficulty to the conference."
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Central Methodist has already hit the field for their spring training, following a successful 2015 campaign that saw the team finish fourth in The Heart with a record of 13-4-2.
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"We are looking good for 2016," said head coach Alex Nichols. "There will be some new faces and we are excited about the year and looking forward to building on what we did last year."
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Nichols continued on, "Our goal is to be fighting for a National Championship, and so if we are not prepared and accustomed to beating top teams in the regular season, it would most likely be difficult to advance�in the National Tournament. We want to be a top team, so we have to play top teams."
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For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.