ASHEVILLE - Non-conference home games with East Tennessee State, Western Carolina and Wofford along with Big South Conference matchups with Radford, VMI, Winthrop and Gardner-Webb at Greenwood Field highlight the 2010 UNC Asheville women's soccer schedule, announced Friday by head coach Michelle Demko.

"The upcoming 2010 schedule will be one that tests us right off the bat in non-conference," said Demko. "That will then lend itself later on in conference with those opponents that are going to stretch us and challenge us for 90 minutes so when it comes to Big South play we should be ready to compete at a high level for the entire game."

The Bulldogs kick off the season on Aug. 17 when they travel to Jefferson City, Tenn., to take on perennial NCAA Division II power Carson-Newman in an exhibition game. Asheville will then begin the 2010 regular season with a two-game home stand featuring regional rivals East Tennessee State (Aug. 22) and Western Carolina (Aug. 27).

Trips to Tennessee Tech (Sept. 5) and Elon (Sept. 9) followed by a home game with Wofford (Sept. 12) will begin the month of September for the Bulldogs. Asheville will then travel to Furman (Sept. 15) and host South Carolina State (Sept. 26) before the onset of Big South Conference play on Oct. 1.

The Blue & White will host league foes Gardner-Webb (Oct.1) and VMI (Oct. 3) before a three-game road trip to Presbyterian College (Oct. 9), Charleston Southern (Oct. 16) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 18). Asheville will then welcome Winthrop and Gardner-Webb to Greenwood Field on Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, respectively.

Asheville will play its final two games of the regular season on the road, squaring off against Liberty on Oct. 27 and then finishing with High Point on Oct. 30.

In her first year with the Bulldog soccer program, Demko looks forward to the start of 2010.

"I think that just being a new coach here and taking over a program that all the games are important to me," said Demko. "I am really looking forward to them all just to see how we respond and where our strengths will be."