Tusculum College head men's soccer coach Allen Vital has announced the Pioneers' 2013 schedule, consisting of 16 regular-season matches and an expanded slate of 11 South Atlantic Conference contests. (2013 Schedule)

Tusculum compiled a 7-8-3 record last season and finished in a tie for seventh place in the SAC with a 3-4-2 league record. Vital begins his third season at his alma mater and his 16th year as a college coach with a career record of 179-101-25.

The Pioneers and the rest of the South Atlantic Conference welcome new members Coker and Queens University of Charlotte to the league for the 2013 season. Tusculum will get an early look at Queens when they travel to Charlotte for the SAC opener on Sat., Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. The Pioneers have won both previous meetings with the Royals, who were 7-11-1 overall and 4-6 in Conference Carolinas last season.

Tusculum will face off with Coker for the first time ever on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Pioneer Field beginning at 3:30 p.m. The Cobras were 12-4-1 overall last season and won their second straight Conference Carolinas championship with an 8-1-1 record.

The season opener for the Pioneers is scheduled for Wed., Sept. 11 on the road at local rival King. The Tornado finished with a 3-14 record last season but won their final two games. It will be the first meeting between the schools since 2010 in a series that Tusculum leads 13-8-2.

Following the league opener at Queens, Tusculum goes back on the road on Wed., Sept. 18 at defending conference champion Mars Hill. The Lions defeated the Pioneers twice last season, winning the regular-season meeting 4-2 and capturing a Food Lion SAC Tournament quarterfinal contest by a 2-0 score. Tusculum leads the all-time series with Mars Hill 10-8-2.

Tusculum plays its home opener at Pioneer Field on Sat., Sept. 21 against Francis Marion at 7 p.m. The Patriots went 5-9-2 last season in the challenging Peach Belt Conference and are meeting the Pioneers for the first time since 2008. Francis Marion has won two of the three all-time meetings with Tusculum.

On Tues., Sept. 24 the Pioneers are back home to play Clayton State in a match that starts at 5:30 p.m. The Lakers were nationally-ranked the last time they came to Greeneville in 2011 but lost 1-0 to the Pioneers. Last year, Clayton State returned the favor with a 3-0 home victory, but the Pioneers still have a 5-3-1 edge in the all-time series.

The Pioneers jump back into conference play on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 3:30 p.m. against Wingate at Pioneer Field. The Bulldogs tied the Pioneers 0-0 in their final regular-season match and lost to Anderson in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals, but earned an NCAA Tournament bid and went all the way to the quarterfinals before losing 2-0 to Lynn. Wingate finished 13-6-1 last season but is just 6-11-1 all-time against Tusculum.

Another local rival is on the slate for Wed., Oct. 2 when the Pioneers welcome Milligan College to Greeneville. Last year, the Pioneers pulled out a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the Buffaloes, who went 11-6 overall and won the Appalachian Athletic Conference title with a 7-1 conference mark. Tusculum holds a 9-1 edge over Milligan in the all-time series.

The Pioneers close out their stretch of five straight home games on Sun., Oct. 6 against Anderson. The Trojans finished fifth in the SAC with a 4-4-1 record and won just four of their 17 regular-season matches, but caught fire in the postseason and did not allow a goal en route to their third Food Lion SAC Tournament championship in as many years in the conference. Tusculum defeated Anderson 1-0 on the road last September, taking a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.

Tusculum heads to the road for four straight matches in the state of North Carolina, starting Wed., Oct. 9 at Brevard. The Tornados were 2-12-2 overall and 2-7 in the SAC last year, but one of their wins was a shocking 1-0 overtime victory at Pioneer Field in the league opener. The Pioneers still maintain the edge all-time over the Tornados with a 5-2 record.

On Sat., Oct. 12 the Pioneers play at Catawba against an Indians squad that was 9-7-3 overall and 3-3-3 in the league last season. Tusculum edged Catawba 1-0 at home last season to boost their all-time record against the Indians to 12-8-1. The final non-conference match of the year is slated for Tues., Oct. 15 at Barton. The Bulldogs went 8-9-2 overall last year and are playing the Pioneers for the first time.

The next-to-last road match of the season comes on Sat., Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears matched the Pioneers in the SAC standings at 3-4-2 and were 6-7-4 overall, including a 3-1 win in Greeneville in the final home match of last year for Tusculum. The Pioneers still enjoy a 14-7-3 lead over the Bears in the all-time series.

The debut meeting with Coker on Oct. 27 is bookended with matches against Lincoln Memorial on Wed., Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and rival Carson-Newman on Wed., Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The Railsplitters were 13-4-1 overall and 6-3 in the SAC last year, with a 5-0 win over the Pioneers among their victories. The win gave LMU an 11-9-2 advantage in the series. Carson-Newman soared to a second-place finish in the league at 5-1-3 (8-6-3 overall) and played to a 1-1 tie with Tusculum. The Pioneers hold a 14-10-3 all-time edge over the Eagles.

On Sat., Nov. 2 the Pioneers wrap up the regular season on the road at Newberry beginning at 3 p.m. The Wolves were 0-8-1 in the conference last season and 4-11-1 overall, but battled the Pioneers before falling 2-1 last October. The Pioneers are undefeated all-time against the Wolves, having 12 wins and two ties in 14 matchups.

The Food Lion SAC Tournament begins the week of Nov. 3, with the conference champion scheduled to be crowned on Sun., Nov. 10 at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. The NCAA Division II Tournament will culminate with the Final Four at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga. on the weekend of Dec. 7-9.