Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information

Sam Houston women’s soccer team will play a 19-match schedule in 2013 that includes eight home contests at Joseph Pritchett Field, Bearkat head coach Tom Brown has announced.

The Kats will kick off the 2013 season at home Sunday, August 25 against Texas Southern.

Sam Houston returns to Pritchett Field Sunday, September 8 to host Prairie View A&M.

Both games start at 7 p.m.

The rest of the home dates will be matches against Southland Conference foes in October with Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, Central Arkansas, Oral Roberts, A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeastern Louisiana all visiting Huntsville within a three week period.

The schedule features seven road non-conference matches as the Bearkats travel to UTSA, North Texas, Texas State, SMU, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.

Sam Houston also will play South Dakota State in San Antonio.

“It’s an unusual schedule this fall with nine road trips among our first 11 matches, then six straight home contests,” Brown said. “As in the past, we will be facing some outstanding programs during the non-conference portion of the schedule to get the team ready for Southland play.”

Sam Houston earned its fourth consecutive Southland Conference post-season tournament appearance last year, rolling up a 4-3-1 league mark.

The Bearkats return six starters including Southland Conference “Freshman of the Year” Kylie Hambleton.

Katie Ferrara, Tricia Mallory and Hambleton all earned all-league honors last season.

Hambleton ranked second in the conference in saves per game (5.36), third in save percentage (.843) and fourth in shutouts (6).

Ferrara was the team’s scoring leader with four goals.

Mallory stands as the program’s second all-time scoring leader with 22 career goals.

Other returning starters include Mariah Titus, Shelby McDaniel and Ashley Fluty.

With nine freshmen plus two transfers, the Bearkats look to have several new faces in the lineup.

For a complete schedule, click here.