GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- A 15-match schedule awaits the Tusculum University men's soccer team for the 2022 season, head coach Allen Vital has announced. (2022 schedule)
The Pioneers will kick off their season on Friday, August 26 and play an 11-game South Atlantic Conference schedule over the next two months, along with four non-conference contests. Three of the Pioneers' four non-conference games will be played at home, where Tusculum will host eight contests in all.
"We look forward to the challenge of playing the 2022 SAC schedule, said Vital, who begins his 12th season at his alma mater with 80 wins as head coach and 246 victories in his first 25 years as a college coach. "We've reinforced the squad to give us more depth in some areas and also added some players who will make us better in areas where we were simply not good enough. We know the conference matches will be extremely competitive as always, but I feel this team has a lot to prove. If we can bring the new players up to speed for the start of conference play, we can be a top team."
The Pioneers host Spring Hill in their season opener on Friday, August 26 at Pioneer Field. The Badgers finished 11-8-0 last season and went 5-6-0 for eighth place in the Gulf South Conference, then upset top-seeded Montevallo 2-1 in the quarterfinals before being eliminated 1-0 in overtime by Lee in the semifinals. The Badgers hosted and defeated the Pioneers 2-1 in last year's season opener in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Tusculum will travel to Clayton State on Monday, August 29 for a matchup with the Lakers, who were 9-8-2 overall and second in the Peach Belt Conference with a 7-4-1 league record. Clayton State lost 2-1 to Young Harris in the conference finals after beating Lander 2-0 in a semifinal matchup. This will be the first meeting between the Pioneers and the Lakers since 2013 and Tusculum's first trip to Clayton State since 2012. The Lakers have won the last two meetings but still trail the all-time series by a 5-4-1 margin.
The Pioneers are home against Lees-McRae on Friday, September 2. The Bobcats turned in a 9-6-2 overall record last season and were fourth in Conference Carolinas with a 7-3-1 league mark, before being shut out by Belmont Abbey 1-0 in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The Pioneers won 4-2 at Lees-McRae last September 7 for their lone win of the 2021 campaign and second straight victory over the Bobcats. Tusculum leads the series over Lees-McRae, 16-6-1.
On Saturday, September 10 the Pioneers open their SAC schedule with a visit from Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears placed third in the conference last season at 7-3-1, then lost 2-1 in overtime to Mars Hill in the SAC quarterfinals. Lenoir-Rhyne earned an NCAA bid but fell 3-2 in double overtime to Limestone in the first round to end the season at 10-6-1. Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne have played overtime in each of their last three meetings, including ties in each of the last two matchups, and the Pioneers lead the all-time series 18-10-5.
One week later, the Pioneers will venture to Coker to face the defending SAC Tournament champion Cobras on Saturday, September 17. Coker was ranked inside the top 10 early last season but dropped out of the rankings, only to rally and finish eighth in the SAC at 5-6-0 in league play. Coker then claimed the conference tournament title with wins in penalty kicks over Carson-Newman in the quarterfinals, in regulation over Anderson in the semifinals, and in double overtime in the finals against Mars Hill. Coker lost 3-2 to Nova Southeastern in the NCAA Division II opening round to end the season with a 12-7-2 record, which included a 3-1 win over the Pioneers. Tusculum has a 5-4 edge over Coker in the all-time series.
Tusculum will travel to Mars Hill on Wednesday, September 21 to take on a Lions squad that was sixth in the SAC with a 5-4-2 record last season, then beat Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba in overtime to advance to the SAC Championship before falling to Coker in double overtime to end the year with an 11-6-3 record. The Lions are 2-0-1 in their last three matchups with the Pioneers, but Tusculum still holds the lead in the all-time series by a margin of 16-11-5.
The Pioneers will be back home to take on Catawba on Saturday, September 24. The Indians took seventh place in the SAC last season with a 5-5-1 record, and upset Limestone 1-0 in the SAC quarterfinals before falling 3-2 in overtime to Mars Hill in the semifinals to end the year at 10-7-2. Catawba defeated Tusculum 4-0 last season to snap a three-game losing streak to the Pioneers, but Tusculum continues to lead the all-time series over Catawba 16-12-1.
The final game of September is the midway point of the schedule for the Pioneers, as Tusculum travels to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, September 28. The Railsplitters failed to qualify for the SAC tournament after going 2-13-2 overall and 1-9-1 in conference for an 11th place finish in the league. The teams played to a scoreless draw last season at LMU, the fifth tie in the last 11 meetings between Tusculum and Lincoln Memorial. The Pioneers trail the all-time series to the Railsplitters 15-12 with seven draws.
The Pioneers begin October with a home non-conference match against Shaw on Saturday, October 1. The Bears, who play a non-conference schedule, finished with a 6-10-1 record last season. The only previous meeting between the programs came during the 2019 season, when the Bears and Pioneers played to a 2-2 deadlock.
Tusculum will host Anderson on Wednesday, October 5. The Trojans were fourth in the SAC last season at 6-3-2 in regular-season play, then beat Queens 1-0 in overtime in the SAC quarterfinals before falling 1-0 to Coker in the semifinals to end the season at 12-4-2. The Trojans beat the Pioneers 3-0 last season and have won three in a row over the Pioneers, giving Anderson a 9-7-1 lead in the all-time series.
The Pioneers head to Limestone for a matchup with the Saints on Saturday, October 8. Limestone took second place in the SAC during the regular season at 8-2-1, but was upset 1-0 by Catawba in the conference quarterfinals. The Saints earned an NCAA Tournament berth and beat Lenoir-Rhyne 3-2 in double overtime in the first round before falling 2-0 to Young Harris in the second round to end the season at 11-5-1. The Saints edged the Pioneers 3-2 last season in the first meeting between the teams since 2012, and the Saints have won three of the four all-time meetings.
Conference newcomer Emory & Henry will host the Pioneers on Wednesday, October 12. The Wasps played an independent schedule last year in preparation for their move to Division II and the SAC, and finished with a 4-10-0 record. The Pioneers have played Emory & Henry twice, winning 5-0 on the road in 1996 and 6-1 at home in 1997.
Tusculum hosts Newberry on Saturday, October 15. The Wolves were 10th in the SAC last season with a 3-8 record and compiled a 3-13 overall mark, which included a high-scoring 5-4 win over the Pioneers that was Newberry's first victory over Tusculum in 22 all-time meetings. The Pioneers are 18-1-3 all-time against the Wolves since the first matchup in 1998.
The Pioneers' final road game of the regular season is at Wingate on Saturday, October 22. The Bulldogs slumped to 4-5-2 in the SAC and missed the postseason, ending the year with a 6-7-2 overall record after placing ninth in the league. Wingate beat Tusculum 2-0 at home last season for their fourth straight home win over the Pioneers. Tusculum continues to lead the all-time series by a 16-14 margin.
The regular season will end on Wednesday, October 26 against reigning SAC regular-season champion Carson-Newman at Pioneer Field. The Eagles were 9-2-0 in the conference during the regular season, but were eliminated from the SAC Tournament by Coker in penalty kicks after playing to a 2-2 deadlock to end the season at 11-4-1. The Eagles beat the Pioneers 1-0 at home last season and are 3-0-1 in their last three games with the Pioneers, which has cut Tusculum's lead in the series to a slender 17-16-7 margin.
The SAC Championship tournament starts Saturday, October 29 with quarterfinal matches on campus sites. The four surviving teams will go to Memorial Stadium in Charlotte for the semifinals on Friday, November 4 and the championship on Sunday, November 6 at 1 p.m. The NCAA Division II Tournament starts November 10 and continues to the semifinals and finals, which will be held December 1 and 3 in Seattle, Washington.
