BTN Communications, August 7, 2012
CHICAGO - BTN will televise more soccer this season than ever before, with at least 60 matches set to air on BTN, including for the first time each round of the Big Ten Men?s and Women?s Soccer Tournaments. Each BTN broadcast is also available on BTN2Go.
The soccer season on BTN begins on Friday, Aug. 24, when defending Big Ten Champion Penn State women host 2011 National Champion Stanford, while the men begin on Sunday, Sept. 23, with seven-time national champion Indiana at Ohio State.
BTN?s live coverage of men?s and women?s soccer includes three doubleheaders and one tripleheader, as well as select matches scheduled on Thursday nights to provide more exposure for Big Ten soccer. BTN?s Thursday night lineup begins with Ohio State hosting Penn State on Sept. 27, the first of four straight Thursday nights of women?s soccer on BTN. Thursday night broadcasts conclude with men?s soccer on Nov. 1, when defending Big Ten Champion Northwestern wraps up the regular season at Indiana.
BTN?s soccer coverage also includes the BTN Soccer Report, a weekly web-only show hosted by Kevin Egan. Fans can also follow the entire season on Twitter @BTNSoccerReport, or by using hashtag #BTNSoccer.
Last season, Indiana and Northwestern earned trips to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. After winning both the Big Ten Championship and Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats earned the conference's automatic bid. The Hoosiers earned their 25th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and advanced to the round of 16.
The 2011 women's soccer season was highlighted by three squads earning bids to the NCAA Championship. Illinois earned the conference's automatic bid after winning the Big Ten Tournament, while Big Ten Champion Penn State and Ohio State were also part of the championship field. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions both reached the round of 16.
Below is the schedule of matches scheduled for both BTN and BTN2Go. Additional matches will be scheduled during the season for delayed broadcast as part of the network?s Student U initiative.
| 2012 Women's Soccer (all times ET) | ||||||
| Date | Away | Home | Time | Airs | ||
| Friday, Aug. 24 | Stanford | at | Penn State | 7:30 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Friday, Sept. 14 | Nebraska | at | Northwestern | 6 p.m. | SDD – 8 p.m. | |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 | Wisconsin | at | Penn State | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 | Iowa | at | Illinois | 3 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Sept. 23 | Michigan State | at | Minnesota | 3 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Thursday, Sept. 27 | Penn State | at | Ohio State | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Sept. 30 | Iowa | at | Michigan State | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Thursday, Oct. 4 | Michigan State | at | Illinois | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Thursday, Oct. 11 | Purdue | at | Indiana | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Thursday, Oct. 18 | Michigan | at | Ohio State | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Friday, Nov. 2 | Big Ten Tournament Semifinal #1 ** | 10 a.m. | LIVE | |||
| Friday, Nov. 2 | Big Ten Tournament Semifinal #2 ** | 12:30 p.m. | LIVE | |||
| Sunday, Nov. 4 | Big Ten Tournament Final ** | Noon | LIVE | |||
** Big Ten Tournament at Indiana
| 2012 Men's Soccer (all times ET) | ||||||
| Date | Away | Home | Time | Airs | ||
| Sunday, Sept. 23 | Indiana | at | Ohio State | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Sept. 30 | Northwestern | at | Michigan State | 3:30 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Sept. 30 | Ohio State | at | Michigan | 6 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 | Penn State | at | Michigan | 7 p.m. | TBD | |
| Sunday, Oct. 14 | Ohio State | at | Northwestern | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Oct. 14 | Michigan State | at | Penn State | 3 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Oct. 21 | Wisconsin | at | Michigan State | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Tuesday, Oct. 23 | Akron | at | Ohio State | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Sunday, Oct. 28 | Northwestern | at | Wisconsin | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Thursday, Nov. 1 | Northwestern | at | Indiana | 8 p.m. | LIVE | |
| Friday, Nov. 9 | Big Ten Tournament Semifinal #1 ** | 1 p.m. | LIVE | |||
| Friday, Nov. 9 | Big Ten Tournament Semifinal #2 ** | 3:30 p.m. | LIVE | |||
| Sunday, Nov. 11 | Big Ten Tournament Final ** | TBD | LIVE | |||
* Big Ten Tournament at Northwestern
