MELBOURNE, Fla. (Men’s Soccer) – Florida Tech fans will have eight opportunities to watch the Panthers in action at Rick Stottler Field this fall as part of the Panthers’ 2011 schedule, released by head coach Robin Chan on Saturday.

“Our schedule is tough,” Chan said. “All but one of our regular-season games are regional games, so each one will be very meaningful. A third of the schedule is composed of teams that appeared in last year’s NCAA Division II Tournament and one competed in the NAIA Tournament. These challenging games help us prepare for conference play.”

Leading into the season, the Panthers will play two exhibition games against Division I schools Jacksonville (Aug. 21) and Stetson (Aug. 26). Once the calendar turns to September, they will officially start the new ledger with a match versus St. Thomas (Sept. 1) at Rick Stottler Field.

Tech will kick off Sunshine State Conference play Sept. 17 at Lynn. On Oct. 7, it will meet Gulf South Conference member Christian Brothers in a neutral site contest at Nova Southeastern. The regular season will come to a close with a home match against Eckerd Oct. 27.

“The Sunshine State Conference is one of the toughest conferences in the country and possibly the toughest, top to bottom,” Chan said. “Every game is played like a cup final. As true competitors, we can’t ask for anything else.”

The Sunshine State Conference Tournament will begin with the quarterfinals round Nov. 1. The semifinals are Nov. 4 and finals are Nov. 6.

A strong late season push enabled the Panthers to vie for the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship in 2010. They will look to carry over that momentum when they begin fall training Aug. 15.

“The coaching staff and players are excited to get going and looking forward to welcoming the new additions,” Chan added. “We will need to come together quickly in preseason and work very hard to prepare. We’re all looking forward to the challenges ahead.”