2011-12 AUGSBURG FALL/WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULES (PDF, updated October 7)

SCHEDULES BY TEAM:
FOOTBALL | VOLLEYBALL | MEN'S SOCCER
WOMEN'S SOCCER | MEN'S GOLF | WOMEN'S GOLF
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY | WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
MEN'S BASKETBALL | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | MEN'S HOCKEY
WOMEN'S HOCKEY | WRESTLING | WOMEN'S SWIMMING

Augsburg's 2011-12 fall and winter sports schedules are now available (click here for PDF link). There are many chances to see your favorite Auggie athletes in action.

Here are some key dates to consider on the 2011 portion of the Auggie fall and winter calendar:

SATURDAY, SEPT. 3: Augsburg's men's and women's cross country teams are in action with the first regular-season home event on the Auggie calendar, the dual meet with Bethel at Riverside Park. Start time is 9 a.m. Augsburg's women's golf team will host Bethel and North Central in a triangular at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 8: Augsburg's women's and men's soccer teams have their home openers in a doubleheader against Whitman (Wash.) at Edor Nelson Field. Women's game is at 5 p.m., with the men's game to follow at 7:30 p.m. The men's matchup will be an interesting one between the Auggies, the defending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff champions, facing a Whitman squad that finished second in the competitive Northwest Conference last year. Auggie women's coach Mike Navarre enters the 2011 campaign with 97 career victories, and if the Auggies open their season with two wins on the road on Sept. 1 and 3, the home opener could be a chance for him to notch his 100th win.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, SEPT. 9-10: Augsburg's volleyball team hosts the 30th annual Augsburg Invitational, one of the longest-running volleyball tournaments in the Midwest, at Si Melby Hall. Augsburg will face Northwestern-Roseville (4 p.m.) and St. Thomas (8 p.m.) on Sept. 9 and Wisconsin-Stevens Point (11 a.m.) and an opponent to be determined (1/3 p.m.) on Sept. 10.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, SEPT. 10-11: Augsburg's men's golf team will play host to its annual fall invitational at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn. The Auggies lost just three seniors to graduation last season and return the bulk of their young lineup to the course.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 17: A very busy day for Auggie sports, with three home events on the docket -- the men's soccer team hosting the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) at Edor Nelson Field at 1 p.m., the volleyball team hosting St. Mary's at Si Melby Hall at 3 p.m., and the women's soccer team hosting conference power Macalester at 7 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. Plus, the Auggie football team opens MIAC play with the battle for "The Hammer" trophy with rival Hamline at 1 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 27: A very important mid-season MIAC men's soccer matchup, as Augsburg hosts St. John's at 7:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field. Both teams figure to be in the hunt for the MIAC championship this season.

SATURDAY, OCT. 1: Augsburg's football team has its home opener at Edor Nelson Field, with a MIAC contest against Carleton at 1 p.m. The two teams have played some high-scoring, wild games in recent years, and this year should be no exception. Augsburg has four home games in five weeks in October!

SATURDAY-MONDAY, OCT. 1-3: Augsburg's men's and women's golf teams compete at the MIAC Championships at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids, Minn. The tournament is a three-day, 54-hole event.

TUESDAY, OCT. 11: Augsburg's women's soccer team has the first game of an important three-game home stretch against MIAC opponents, hosting St. Olaf at 7:30 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field. Augsburg is aiming to return to the four-team MIAC playoffs, and this stretch of games could be important in that quest.

HOMECOMING WEEK -- OCTOBER 17-22: Augsburg's annual Homecoming week will feature seven home events, so there are plenty of chances to see the Auggies in action. The men's soccer team hosts Wisconsin-Superior on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Hamline on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m., the women's soccer team hosts St. Catherine on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m., and the volleyball team hosts St. Olaf on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 22, will feature three home events -- the women's swimming team opening its season with the Augsburg Pentathlon at 11 a.m. (at St. Catherine's Butler Center pool), the football team hosting St. Olaf at 1 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field, and the volleyball team hosting St. Thomas at 5 p.m. at Si Melby Hall.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26: Final home games for the Augsburg women's and men's soccer teams, hosting Concordia-Moorhead in a doubleheader at Edor Nelson Field. Women's game is at 4 p.m., with the men's game at 6:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29: Augsburg's football team hosts Macalester at 1 p.m. at Edor Nelson Field, the first time the Auggies have met the Scots in football since 2001. The Scots became an independent in football in the 2002 season. Augsburg has won the last 11 all-time meetings with Macalester. Also, the men's and women's cross country teams compete at the MIAC Championships at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul. Action starts at 2 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOV. 11: Augsburg's men's hockey team has its home opener at Ed Saugestad Rink, with a nonconference matchup against Wisconsin-Stout at 7:05 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 12: The Auggie football team has its final home game of the season, hosting Bethel at the Metrodome (time TBA), and the women's hockey team has its home opener at 5 p.m., facing St. Catherine at Ed Saugestad Rink.

SATURDAY, NOV. 19: The 11-time national champion Augsburg wrestling team hosts one of the largest open tournaments in the Midwest, the annual Auggie-Brute-Adidas Open, starting at 9 a.m. at Si Melby Hall. Last year, more than 500 wrestlers from all over the region competed in the tournament.

TUESDAY, NOV. 22: The Augsburg wrestling team has its first home dual meet of the season, when Waldorf (Iowa) visits Si Melby Hall. It's a combined White Team (JV) and varsity dual, with the White Team starting at 6:30 p.m. and the varsity following.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30: The Augsburg men's basketball team has its home- and conference-opener, facing perennial rival St. John's at 7:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies barely missed a berth in the MIAC playoffs last year after back-to-back postseason berths, and the bulk of the lineup returns this season.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3: Another busy day for Auggie sports, with three home events. The women's and men's basketball teams host Concordia-Moorhead in a MIAC doubleheader at Si Melby Hall, with the women's game at 1 p.m. and the men's game at 3 p.m. The women's game will be the home debut for new Augsburg coach Bill McKee. The men's hockey team ends the day hosting Gustavus at 7:05 p.m. at Ed Saugestad Rink. Five of the last six meetings between the Auggies and Gusties have been decided by a goal or less, with three games going to overtime.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, DEC. 30-31: Gear up for the new year with an Augsburg men's hockey series, with the Auggies hosting Lawrence (Wis.) in a nonconference series at Ed Saugestad Rink. The Dec. 30 game is at 7:05 p.m., with the Dec. 31 game at 4:05 p.m.