The Tusculum College men's soccer team will kick off its 2012 season Thursday afternoon when the Pioneers travel to Limestone College for a 4:00 p.m. match.

The Pioneers are the preseason favorites in the South Atlantic Conference coaches' poll, and return seven starters from last year's team that finished 6-1-2 in the SAC to earn a second-place finish.

Preseason All-Conference defenders Matias Rubio and Fredrik Muren anchor the back line for the Pioneers, while leading scorer Stephen McNeill is joined by a pair of offensive threats in Roberto Pimentel and Andre Bissmark.

The Saints finished 12-7 overall in 2011 and claimed second place in the Conference Carolinas West Division with a 7-4 record. In last year's meeting, Limestone captured a 3-1 victory over Tusculum on Sept. 14 at Pioneer Field.

Live stats for Thursday's match will be available courtesy of Limestone here, and live video will be available here.

Tusculum will host 12th-ranked Barry University in their home opener Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Pioneer Field. The Bucs advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division II Tournament last season but needed overtime to defeat the Pioneers 2-1 in last year's meeting between the schools.