Pioneers Release 2014 Men’s Soccer Schedule

Tusculum Sports LogoThe 2014 Tusculum College men’s soccer schedule has been released as the Pioneers will play a 16-match regular-season slate, including 11 South Atlantic Conference contests.
Of the 16-match schedule, 10 will be against programs that posted winning seasons in 2013, three which advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament, including the national runner-up.

Tusculum head coach Allen Vital, who is entering fourth season at the helm of the men’s soccer program at his alma mater, returns 16 lettermen and 10 starters from last year’s 6-10 squad that finished tied for ninth in the league.

Tusculum will play nine home matches at Pioneer Field, including three in a row to start the season.

The Pioneers will kick off the season on Sep. 6 when they host Barton. The Bulldogs posted a 9-8-1 record while tying for third place in Conference Carolinas. This will be the third straight year the two teams have met on the pitch. TC leads the series 1-0-1, including last year’s 1-0 victory at Barton.

In-state foe King comes to Pioneer Field on Sep. 10. The Tornado tied for fifth place in Conference Carolinas last year and went 4-11-1 overall, including a 3-0 season-opening loss to Tusculum. This will be the 25th meeting between the East Tennessee rivals as TC leads the series 14-8-2.

Tusculum will kick off the South Atlantic Conference campaign on Sep. 13 when the Pioneers host defending SAC Champion Queens University of Charlotte. Queens went 16-4 and defeated Tusculum 3-2 in double overtime in their first SAC season. The Royals also captured the SAC Tournament title. This year will mark the fourth meeting between the two schools with TC leading the series 2-1.

The Pioneers are on the road for the first time on Sep. 17 when they travel to Francis Marion. The Patriots tied for fourth in the Peach Belt Conference standings and posted a 10-5-4 mark, including a 2-1 overtime victory at Tusculum last year. FMU leads the all-time series 3-1.

Tusculum returns home on Sep. 20 to host cross-mountain rival Mars Hill. The Lions finished sixth in the SAC a year ago, while going 7-10, including a 3-2 loss to the Pioneers.

TC begins a four-match road swing on Sep. 24 as the Pioneers travel to in-state foe Milligan. The Buffaloes went 3-14 last year and finished 6th in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. TC defeated Milligan 2-0 last year to improve its record to 10-1 all-time against the Buffaloes.

On Sep. 27, Tusculum travels to Wingate to face the Bulldogs. WU is coming off an 11-5-1 record and finished second in the SAC standing. The Bulldogs edged Tusculum 0-1 as the Pioneers lead the all-time series 11-8.

The month of October opens with a pair of back-to-back road matches against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. On Oct. 1, the Pioneers make the short trip to Jefferson City to face arch-rival Carson-Newman. The Eagles are coming off one of its best seasons in school history, going 16-6-1 and advanced to the championship match of the NCAA Tournament where they were eliminated by Southern New Hampshire. C-N won last year’s meeting with Tusculum, 1-0 in overtime, but the Pioneers still lead the all-time series 14-11-3.

TC closes out its four-match road swing at Anderson on Oct. 4. The Trojans posted a 12-7-3 record, including a 1-0 win against the Pioneers in Greeneville, evening the series at 4-4-0.

Tusculum returns home on Oct. 8 to face Brevard at Pioneer Field. The Tornados went 5-11 last season and tied for ninth place in the SAC standings. BC defeated Tusculum 2-1 in double overtime a year ago as the Pioneers lead the all-time series 5-3.

Catawba visits TC on Oct. 12 as the Indians look to improve upon last year’s 8-8-1 record, while tying for eighth in the conference. Catawba was victorious 3-1 last season over Tusculum, trimming TC’s lead in the series, 12-9-1.

Tusculum steps out of conference play on Oct. 15 with a trip to Banner Elk, North Carolina to take on Lees-McRae. The Bobcats tied for third place in Conference Carolinas with a 9-7-1 overall record. This will be the 17th recorded meeting between Tusculum and LMC (TC leads series 12-3-1).

The Pioneers host Lenoir-Rhyne on homecoming weekend (Oct. 19). The Bears tied for eighth place in the league following a 9-8-1 campaign, including a 2-1 overtime loss to Tusculum. TC leads the all-time series 15-7-3.

On Oct. 22, the Pioneers venture to in-state foe Lincoln Memorial to take on the Railsplitters. LMU went 9-8-2 last year to tie for fourth in the SAC. LMU defeated Tusculum 2-1 to increase its lead in the series 12-9-2.

The Pioneers make its longest road trip of the year when the travel to Hartsville, S.C. to face Coker. The Cobras tied for fourth place in their first SAC season, going 9-5-3 on the year. One of those victories was a 1-0 win at Tusculum in the inaugural between the two programs.

Tusculum closes out the regular season with a pair of home matches. On Oct. 29, Tusculum hosts North Greenville in the first-ever meeting between the Pioneers and the Crusaders. NGU finished ninth in Conference Carolinas with its 3-11-1 worksheet.

The Pioneers host Newberry on Halloween night (Oct. 31) in the regular season finale. The Wolves will be looking to rebound from last year’s 1-16-1 record, including a 1-0 home loss to Tusculum. TC leads the all-time series 13-0-2.

The SAC Tournament will begin Nov. 4 with the league’s top-eight teams playing in quarterfinal matches at campus sites. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament to be held in Rock Hill, S.C. (Nov. 7 & 9).

The NCAA Tournament begins Nov. 13 with regional play, culminating with the national semifinal (Dec. 4) and national championship (Dec. 6) matches being held in Louisville, Ky. in conjunction with the NCAA II Championship Fall Festival.