Minnesota’s soccer team released its 2006 schedule Monday. The schedule features seven teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005.

The Gophers will open their regular season with a home game against Drake on Aug. 25. After three more home nonconference games, Minnesota will travel to Brown for the Brown University Invitational on Sept. 8 and 10.

Minnesota opens its conference slate with a Sept. 22 road game against Indiana. The home Big Ten schedule begins Sept. 29 against Northwestern.

The Gophers play Big Ten road games against Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State. The conference home schedule features Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State. The regular season closes Oct. 27 with the road date against Ohio State on.

Last season Minnesota re-emerged as a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender. After the 2001 through 2004 seasons yielded a combined eight conference wins and no appearances in the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers went 6-4-0 in conference play before falling in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Game postponed

Minnesota’s baseball team postponed its game against St. Thomas, which was scheduled to be played today at Siebert Field. No makeup date has been announced.

The Gophers originally started a game with the Tommies on April 18 at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, but that game was suspended because of rain in the top of the second inning with Minnesota leading 4-0.

Today’s game was postponed because St. Thomas’ doubleheader scheduled for Monday against St. Olaf was postponed until today. Because that game is a conference match, it takes precedence over the game with Minnesota.