The soccer team has added three Big Ten opponents to its schedule this season in order to ready itself for tournament play.

Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, CMU will play Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State all on the road.

“Since I’ve been here, it’s a major upgrade (in strength of schedule),” said soccer coach Tom Anagnost. “We’re playing really good teams to hopefully prepare us for our conference.”

The Chippewas have an exhibition game at Pittsburgh, a Big East school, to start the season Aug. 12.

Other non-conference opponents include four teams CMU played last year. The Chippewas beat Detroit 3-1 and IPFW 1-0, but lost to St. Bonaventure and Valparaiso 1-0 each. Illinois State is new to the schedule this year.

“Those other teams that we’re playing have been extremely competitive with us over the last few years,” Anagnost said. “I think it’s a great schedule, and hopefully we’re ready for it.”

Michigan State and Toledo, a Mid-American Conference opponent, qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year.

CMU finished second in the MAC last season (12-5-3) and lost to No. 3 Eastern Michigan in the MAC Tournament semifinals. Toledo won the tournament for the third consecutive year. Bowling Green, last year’s No. 4 seed, Eastern Michigan and Toledo close out the regular season schedule for CMU this year.

“It does culminate to those last three games,” Anagnost said. “(But) our conference is so competitive top to bottom. A lot of conferences are a little top-heavy where one or two schools dominate everybody else, and that’s just not the case (in the MAC).”

Last season, Buffalo, Akron and Ohio – all teams who did not qualify for the MAC Tournament – gave CMU problems. Buffalo and Akron tied the Chippewas, and Ohio beat them 1-0.

Important dates on the schedule include the season opener against IPFW on Aug. 22, the home opener against St. Bonaventure on Aug. 28, the beginning of the MAC schedule against Ohio on Sept. 25 and the conclusion of the regular season against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 29.

The MAC Tournament begins Nov. 1.

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E-mail the author: Andrew Stover