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2011 Gallaudet University fall athletic schedules released
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The first day of summer is next week but it is not too early to start filling your fall calendar out with Gallaudet University athletic games. The GU Athletics Department officially released the 2011 fall schedules Wednesday for its four varsity teams: football, men's and women's soccer and volleyball.
The 2010-11 season marked the first year for Gallaudet in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) for all sports but football and track and field. GU fared well in its NEAC debut as the program, as a whole, finished fourth overall out of 11 schools in the final President’s Cup standings for best athletic program in the conference. The Bison finished third overall in the women’s standings and was fourth in the men’s standings. The 2011 season is the third year for the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) where Gallaudet has been a founding member.
Here are the schedule highlights for each sport:
Football
2010 Record: 5-5, 3-4 ECFC
Can't Miss Home Game: Gallaudet vs. Becker (Homecoming
– October 22, 1:30 p.m.)
Overview: Gallaudet football was in every single game
last season but came up short on five separate occasions as the
Bison went 5-5. All five losses were by eight or less points so GU
looks to make adjustments and fine tune things under head coach
Chuck Goldstein, who will enter his second season at the helm and
third with the program. GU opens the season with two back-to-back
home games against non-conference foes. The Bison welcome Otterbein
from Westerville, Ohio, on September 3 for the season opener
followed by a Friday night contest against cross-town rival
Catholic University of America on September 9 at 7 p.m. This is the
first of two night games for the Buff and Blue at Hotchkiss Field
in 2011. Gallaudet has the following week off before travel down to
Newport News, Va., on September 24 to face Apprentice School. GU
will begin conference play on the road in Paxton, Mass., against
Anna Maria College on October 1. The AMCATS have not won a game in
the two years the program has been in existence. Gallaudet will
return home after being on the road for a month and host Husson
University on October 8 before hitting the road a week later to
take on Norwich University on October 15. The Bison are home
October 22 as they host Becker College for Homecoming at a special
kick-off time of 1:30 p.m. Gallaudet has a tough three-game stretch
to end the regular-season as the Bison face three teams that
finished ahead of them in last year’s conference standings.
GU will travel to Castleton, Vt., to face the Spartans from
Castleton State College on October 29. The following week finds the
Bison in Newton, Mass., as they square up against Mount Ida College
on November 5. GU will closeout the regular-season, much like it
did in 2010, with a home night game against SUNY Maritime College
at 7 p.m. Last year, Maritime escaped Washington, D.C., with a
21-14 victory to preserve its undefeated regular-season and
celebrate its conference championship. Maritime went to the NCAA
tournament while Mount Ida and Norwich secured ECAC bowl games.
Gallaudet hopes with a few changes last year’s losses will
turn into wins this season and end with a postseason game.
Men's Soccer
2010 Record: 1-18, 1-8 NEAC
Can't Miss Home Game: Gallaudet vs. SUNY Cobleskill
(October 2, TBA)
Overview: The Gallaudet University men’s soccer
team tasted victory for the first time since October 21, 2006, when
the Bison defeated SUNY Cobleskill 1-0 on October 2. The win ended
a 63-game losing streak and marked the bright spot in yet another
tough losing season for the Buff and Blue. The win was the lone
tally for the Bison under the direction of Luis Gendive, who was
the last coach to guide the Bison to a win in ’06. Gendive
coached the Bison in 2005 and ’06 then returning in 2010.
Gallaudet begins the 2011 season at home on September 2 against
Washington Adventist. GU then hits the road on September 5 at
Christendom College before returning home to face Potomac State on
September 7. That is the last home game for GU in September. The
Bison will begin conference play on the road September 17 against
Penn St.-Harrisburg then three straight road games before returning
home on October 1 to face reigning NEAC champion SUNYIT. The
following day the Bison will host SUNY Cobleskill in a rematch of
last year’s 1-0 game. The Fighting Tigers finished 1-7-1 in
conference play last season. The next three games are on the road
for the Buff and Blue including a trip to Southern Virginia on
October 7 before two conference games on October 15 and 16. The
Bison host Penn St.-Berks on Friday, October 21, during Homecoming
Weekend and then host conference newcomer Lancaster Bible on
October 25. The following day the Bison travel to Salem
International before ending the regular-season at home against Penn
St.-Abington. The NEAC tournament begins the first week of
November.
Volleyball
2010 Record: 24-15, 7-1 NEAC
Postseason: NCAA tournament, NEAC champions
Can't Miss Home Game: Gallaudet vs. Penn St.-Harrisburg
(Dig Pink Night – October 13, 7 p.m.)
Overview: The Gallaudet University volleyball team
returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years as
it won the NEAC championship in its first season in the conference.
GU received a tough draw in the NCAA tournament as it traveled to
Newport News, Va., to face top-seed Christopher Newport University.
The Bison went 7-1 in conference play last season before winning
two in the NEAC tournament to claim the championship. With a wealth
of experience and key recruits the Bison will aim to go perfect in
the conference in their defense of the NEAC title. Gallaudet will
crisscross the country during the first three weekends in September
as the Bison participate in the Battlefield Classic hosted by
Gettysburg College on September 2-3 before heading to Seguin,
Texas, to play in the Bulldog Classic hosted by Texas Lutheran
(September 9-10). GU will make the short trip to Towson, Md., to
play Goucher College (September 14) before heading north to Utica,
N.Y., to play three conference games against Morrisville St.,
SUNYIT and Wells. Gallaudet finally makes its home debut on
September 22 when it plays host to non-conference foe Johns Hopkins
University. The following two weeks features trips to Owings Mills,
Md., Westminster, Md., and Reading, Pa., for non-conference and
conference matches. GU will host former Capital Athletic Conference
foe St. Mary’s (Md.) College on October 4 before playing host
to the 5th annual Worthington Classic on October 7-8 as the Bison
welcome Allegheny, Salem and Shenandoah to town. Gallaudet plays
hosts to Gettysburg College (October 12) and Penn St.-Harrisburg
(October 13) on back-to-back nights at the Field House. The home
contest against Harrisburg marks the annual AVCA Dig Pink Night for
the Bison as fans are encouraged to wear something pink to show
support for Breast Cancer awareness. GU then goes to Harrisburg,
Pa., for three more conference matches before hosting University of
Mary Washington (October 20) on Senior Night. Gallaudet makes the
quick trip to Catholic University of America on October 26 before
completing the regular-season in Scranton, Pa., against Lebanon
Valley College and University of Scranton. Gallaudet will defend
its conference title during the first week in November in the NEAC
tournament. The NCAA or ECAC tournaments will follow later in
November if the Bison qualify.
Women's Soccer
2010 Record: 7-11, 4-7 NEAC
Can't Miss Home Game: Gallaudet vs. Penn St.-Berks
(Homecoming – October 21, TBA)
Overview: The Gallaudet University women’s soccer
is looking to take the next step in 2011 in elevating the program
to new heights. Last year, the Bison went 4-7 in their first season
in the NEAC as they just missed a playoff berth in the conference
tournament. In 2010, Gallaudet lost seven of its 11 games by one
goal. GU’s season begins under the lights on Thursday,
September 1, at 7:30 p.m. against cross-town rival Catholic
University of America. That is the only home game for the Bison
during the month of September. GU will hit the road on September 6
and head to Baltimore to take on College of Notre Dame and then
participate in a weekend tournament at nearby Trinity (D.C.)
College on September 10 and 11. The next two weeks feature tough
road games against Penn St.-Harrisburg (September 17) in the
conference opener. Gallaudet then makes the short trip to
Arlington, Va., to face former Capital Athletic Conference foe
Marymount (Va.) University (September 21) before hitting the road
for a key conference weekend against defending NEAC champion Keuka
and at Wells on September 24 and 25, respectively. The Bison
begin the month of October with four consecutive homes games
starting against SUNYIT and SUNY Cobleskill on October 1 and 2,
respectively, followed by a conference game against Wilson (October
5) and St. Elizabeth (October 8). GU is back on the road October 15
and 16 for two conference games before returning home for a big
NEAC game against Penn St.-Berks (October 21) on Homecoming
Weekend. The Bison close out the regular-season schedule with home
games against Lancaster Bible (October 25) and Penn St.-Abington
(October 29) with a road game at Salem International (October 26)
squeezed in. The NEAC tournament begins the first week of
November.
