Women's Soccer releases 2025 Schedule
The Wiley University women's soccer team revealed its 2025 schedule Thursday, featuring 15 matches, including seven at Pemberton Field.
Head coach Andrew Benitez prioritized local matchups to reduce travel costs but believes he crafted a schedule that will have his team prepared to compete for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Championship.
"I think we have a schedule that will challenge us and build our confidence," Benitez said. "We are competing against both NAIA and NCAA schools. Those matches will have us ready to compete for the HBCUAC Championship in November."
For the first time since 2018, the Lady Wildcats will be affiliated with a conference as the HBCUAC is sponsoring soccer for its first season since 2004. The additions of former Red River Athletic Conference schools Huston-Tillotson University and Paul Quinn College brought the conference to the NAIA threshold of six schools to sponsor a conference championship.
The HBCU Athletic Conference will split into two divisions and will play home-and-home matches with their divisional opponents. Wiley is in the West with Huston-Tillotson and Paul Quinn. They will host the Tigers and Rams on October 4 and 13 and visit them on October 23 and 25.
Preseason and Non-Conference Highlights
The Lady Wildcats will play two scrimmages at Angelina College (Aug. 12) and host Jacksonville College (Aug. 13). They will compete in the HBCU Classic in an exhibition match against HBCUAC member Tougaloo College at TCO Stadium, the training facility of the Minnesota Vikings (Aug. 17).
The home and season opener is August 25 against North American University, which is the first of three matches against RRAC schools. The Lady Wildcats visit Jarvis Christian University (Sept. 3) and Texas A&M University-Texarkana (Sept. 13) for their first matchups since 2018.
Wiley will compete in two matches at Centenary College of Louisiana, facing the Ladies (Sept. 5) and Huntingdon College (Sept. 6). It will visit NCAA Division III schools LeTourneau University (Sept. 9) and East Texas Baptist University (Oct. 1). Rounding out the non-conference schedule are home matches against Texas Wesleyan University (Sept. 24) and HBCUAC member Oakwood University (Oct. 12) and a home-and-home series against Arlington Baptist University, playing on the road September 26 and hosting on October 3.
Team Outlook
The Lady Wildcats enter their second full season since making its return in 2023 and second under Benitez. The Lady Wildcats won their first two matches since 2018 and return nearly their entire roster.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wsoc/index
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 15 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's golf, softball and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's golf.
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