Feb. 22, 2010

EL PASO, TEXAS- The UTEP soccer team will kick off its annual slate of exhibition spring games by playing host to Arizona State at University Field at 10 a.m. MT on Sunday. The match is one of seven events on tap as part of training throughout the spring for the squad, with five of being contested in El Paso. There will be free admission to all of the home contests.

“We are very excited about our spring schedule, as it includes some excellent schools,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “We feel this schedule will help prepare us for the fall and Conference USA games. It is a great opportunity for the program.”

UTEP will face a squad comprised of Miner alumni at 5 p.m. MT on March 6 before battling Pacific-10 power Arizona at 12 p.m. MT on March 7. The Orange and Blue will head Tucson, Ariz., to partake in a 7 vs. 7 tournament before welcoming Eastern New Mexico to town for a 12 p.m. MT match on April 11.

The Miners will venture up the road to challenge I-10 rival New Mexico State at 7 p.m. MT on April 15, and will wrap up the exhibition season at home against an Alberta Provincial team at 1 p.m. MT on April 24.

UTEP has been the epitome for success in recent years, with a school-record eight straight winning seasons. All of those years have featured 10 or more triumphs, and the Miners have been regionally ranked at some point in the campaign for a program-best six consecutive years.

The spring games will provide Miner fans an early look at the 2010 squad, which is expected to once again be in the mix for a Conference USA championship.