GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's soccer team will take the field in 2024 for a slate of 15 matches, first-year head coach Kyle Hughes has announced.
The Pioneers have seven home matches and eight away contests, and will play 11 of their 15 matches as part of their South Atlantic Conference slate of games. After opening the season with four of six matches at home during September, the Pioneers will play six of seven on the road in October before ending the regular season with two home matches in November.
Tusculum had an 8-5-3 record last season and finished tied for eighth in the SAC with a 3-5-3 league mark in 2023. Seven starters are back from last year's squad, including second-team All-SAC midfielder Mo Bouta.
The Pioneers will kick off their 2024 season against King on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Pioneer Field. The Tornado finished 3-13-1 overall last season and had an 0-11-1 record in Conference Carolinas. Tusculum beat King 3-0 last season to boost their lead in the all-time series to 20-10-3.
Tusculum will jump into SAC play on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Wingate. The Bulldogs captured the conference regular-season championship with a 10-1-1 record, but lost the tournament final to Limestone by a 2-0 score. Wingate fell 3-0 to West Florida in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to end the year at 12-5-2. The Bulldogs beat the Pioneers by a 2-1 score last season to even the all-time series at 16-16.
The Pioneers host Lynn on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in their first-ever meeting with the Knights. Lynn went 10-3-6 overall last season and 4-2-4 in the Sunshine State Conference, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 2-1 in double overtime to Florida Tech.
Tusculum is home to face Newberry on Sunday, Sept. 22. The Wolves were 3-9-2 overall and 1-8-2 in conference play last season, finishing in 11th place. The Pioneers earned a 2-1 win over the Wolves last year to stretch their lead in the series to 19-1-4.
The Pioneers will step back out of conference to take on Converse for the first time on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The Valkyries followed up on their breakout 2022 season by going 12-4-4 overall in 2023, including a 7-2-3 mark in Conference Carolinas. Converse advanced to the league finals but lost in penalty kicks to Chowan.
Tusculum hosts Anderson on Saturday, Sept. 28. The Trojans ended up 7-6-3 overall and were 5-3-3 in conference play, with a 3-1 quarterfinal loss to Lincoln Memorial. The teams played to a 0-0 draw last season, leaving Tusculum with a 9-7-3 lead in the all-time series.
The Pioneers play three straight road matches to begin October, starting with a trip to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The Railsplitters were 6-3-2 in conference play and lost 2-1 to Wingate in the SAC semifinals, but earned an NCAA berth and fell 5-1 to Barry in the opening round to end the year with an 11-5-3 record. Lincoln Memorial beat Tusculum 1-0 last season and leads the all-time series by a 16-12-7 margin.
Tusculum visits Mars Hill on Saturday, Oct. 5. The Lions were 5-7-6 overall last season and 2-4-5 in SAC play, including a 2-2 draw with the Pioneers. Tusculum continues to lead the all-time series over Mars Hill, 16-12-6.
For the first time in 10 years, the Pioneers will take on North Greenville on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The Trailblazers went 4-8-4 last season and had a 4-4-4 record in Conference Carolinas. Tusculum beat North Greenville 4-0 in the only previous meeting in 2014.
Tusculum is back home to take on Catawba on Sunday, Oct. 13. The Indians went 5-4-2 in the SAC regular season and lost 2-1 to Lenoir-Rhyne in the quarterfinals to end the year with a 9-6-2 record. The Pioneers lost 2-0 to the Indians last season but remain ahead in the all-time series by a 16-13-2 edge.
The Pioneers will have their second three-game road swing of the month starting Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Emory & Henry. The Wasps were winless last season, with the Pioneers taking a 7-0 victory for their fourth win in as many meetings.
Tusculum visits Limestone on Sunday, Oct. 20. The Saints were second in the SAC during the regular season with an 8-2-1 record, then did not allow a goal in three matches to win the SAC Tournament championship. Limestone advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals where they lost 3-2 in overtime to Florida Tech to finish the season with a 16-3-2 record. The Pioneers and Saints played to a 1-1 draw for the second straight season last year, with Limestone holding a 3-1-2 edge in the series.
The Pioneers play their final road match of the regular season at Coker on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Cobras played to a 5-5-1 record in conference action and fell 1-0 to Limestone in the SAC quarterfinals to end the season at 8-6-3. Tusculum beat Coker 2-0 last season to regain the lead in the all-time series at 6-5-0.
Tusculum plays its last two matches of the regular season at home, beginning Saturday, Nov. 2 against Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears were 6-2-3 in conference play during the regular season and lost 1-0 to Limestone in the SAC semifinals. Lenoir-Rhyne qualified for the NCAA Tournament but lost in penalty kicks to Clayton State to end the season with a 7-5-6 record. The Bears beat the Pioneers 1-0 last season, but Tusculum still has an 18-11-5 record in the all-time series.
The Pioneers host Carson-Newman in their final game of the regular season on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The Eagles beat the Pioneers 3-1 in last year's final game to capture the final spot in the SAC Tournament field with a 3-5-3 record, but Carson-Newman lost 1-0 to Wingate in the quarterfinals to end the year at 5-7-5. Tusculum retains the lead in the all-time series by a slim 18-17-7 margin.
The SAC Championship tournament begins with quarterfinal matches on campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 9. The semifinals and finals will be played in Matthews, North Carolina with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 15 and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 17.
