GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Tusculum University’s men’s soccer team will embark on a 15-match schedule for the 2025 season, head coach Kyle Hughes has announced.
The Pioneers will play a pair of national championship teams in its non-conference schedule before facing a 10-game South Atlantic Conference slate. Tusculum has nine of its 15 matches on the road, including a trip to Florida to start the season and back-to-back road games to wrap up the regular season.
Tusculum welcomes back five starters from last season’s squad, which battled to a 2-7-2 conference record that included four losses by one goal. Among the returnees are sophomore Clarenns Sainrimat who led the team in scoring with four goals and three assists, along with sophomore goalkeeper Noe Delmotte who had two shutouts and a 1.30 goals against average in 11 starts.
The Pioneers open their season with a trip to Florida for matches against defending national champion Lynn on Thursday, Sept. 4 and Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Lynn won its fourth NCAA Division II championship in 2024, finishing off a 20-0-2 campaign with a 3-2 win over Charleston in the finals. The Fighting Knights were 8-0-2 in the Sunshine State Conference, and beat the Pioneers 6-1 in Greeneville in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Tusculum will play Palm Beach Atlantic for the first time, with the Sailfish coming off a 6-6-3 season and a 5-4-1 record in the Sunshine State Conference.
The Pioneers host Wingate in their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Bulldogs were 6-8-1 overall and eighth in the SAC last season at 4-7-0. Wingate beat Tusculum 2-1 in last year’s conference opener to take a 17-16 lead in the all-time series with their fourth straight win over the Pioneers.
Tusculum will face Bob Jones for the first time on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Greenville, South Carolina. The Bruins won their third NCCAA championship in four years last season, beating Boyce 5-1 in the final to finish with a 17-2-2 overall record.
Tusculum continues on the road in South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 20 against Newberry. The Wolves were 4-9-1 overall last season and 3-7-1 in the SAC, which included a 0-0 draw with the Pioneers. Tusculum has a 20-1-5 advantage in the all-time series with Newberry, including a 7-0-3 mark on the road.
The Pioneers finish September with a trip to Anderson on Saturday, Sept. 27. The Trojans had an 8-7-1 overall record and tied for third in the SAC at 7-4-0, with a loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in the conference quarterfinals. Anderson beat Tusculum 1-0 last season and leads the series by a 10-7-3 margin, with four wins and two draws in the last six meetings.
Tusculum is back home to face Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, Oct. 1. The Railsplitters were fifth in the SAC with a 6-3-2 record, and lost to Mars Hill in the quarterfinals to end the year at 9-4-3 overall. The Railsplitters defeated the Pioneers 2-1 last season for their third straight win in the series, which extended LMU’s lead all-time to 18-12-7.
The Pioneers welcome Mars Hill on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Lions were tied for third in the SAC with a 6-2-3 record and were 10-5-4 overall, and fell to Limestone in the conference quarterfinals. Mars Hill earned an NCAA Tournament bid and beat Francis Marion in penalties in the first round before dropping a 4-1 decision to Limestone. Mars Hill stretched its unbeaten streak in the series to six with a 2-0 win last season, but Tusculum still leads the all-time series 16-13-6.
The Pioneers step out of conference to visit Trevecca Nazarene on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The Trojans were 5-9-3 last season and 4-5-2 in the Gulf South Conference, and will be facing the Pioneers for the second time ever. In 2016, Tusculum defeated Trevecca 2-0 at Pioneer Field.
Tusculum travels to Catawba on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Indians were tied for sixth in the SAC with a 4-3-4 record and ended the season with a 6-5-6 overall mark. Catawba and Tusculum played to a 0-0 draw last season, the second tie in the last three meetings which leaves the Pioneers with a 16-13-3 advantage in the all-time series.
The Pioneers have three straight home matches to end October, beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 15 against Emory & Henry. The new-look Wasps will aim to improve on last year’s 0-14-1 record, which included a 5-1 victory for the Pioneers. Tusculum is a perfect 5-0 all-time against Emory & Henry.
Coker is the opponent for Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Cobras shared the SAC regular-season championship with Limestone at 9-1-1 but fell in overtime to Lenoir-Rhyne in the conference semifinals. Coker lost 1-0 to Lynn in the NCAA third round to end the year at 15-3-1, which included a 1-0 victory over the Pioneers. The home team has won the last five meetings in the series, which is even at six wins each.
The home schedule wraps up with a non-conference match against Lees-McRae on Tuesday, Oct. 28. The Bobcats were 4-5-7 overall and 4-3-5 in Conference Carolinas last season. The teams did not play last season, with a 1-0 win for the Pioneers in the 2023 season opener giving Tusculum a 17-7-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Tusculum is on the road for both of its November matches, starting on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears tied for sixth in the SAC at 5-5-1, but advanced to the conference finals before a 5-2 loss to Limestone ended their season at 8-8-1. The Bears defeated the Pioneers 3-1 last season but Tusculum still leads the series 18-13-5.
The Pioneers will renew their rivalry with Carson-Newman in the season finale on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Tusculum beat Carson-Newman 3-1 to end last season and knock the Eagles out of the conference tournament. Carson-Newman was 4-9-3 overall and 3-7-1 in the SAC last season, and Tusculum leads the series 19-17-7 that last saw the road team win in 2018.
The SAC Championship tournament will begin with quarterfinal games at campus sites on November 8-9, and concludes with semifinals on November 14 and finals on November 16 at Matthews, North Carolina.
