GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — A 17-match schedule awaits the Tusculum University women’s soccer team for the 2025 season, head coach Vanessa Fyffe has announced.
The Pioneers have eight home matches and nine road contests as part of their schedule, which includes 10 South Atlantic Conference games. The Pioneers were 4-11-1 overall last season and went 2-8-1 in SAC play.
Eight regular starters return for the Pioneers in 2025, including second-team All-SAC forwards Addison Rishling and Sydney Grant, along with four other players who made at least five starts during the 2024 season.
The Pioneers open the season with a two-match road trip, starting Thursday, Sept. 4 at Thomas More. The Saints were 6-8-3 overall and 3-8-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference last season. Thomas More beat Tusculum 3-2 in last year’s season opener in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Tusculum wraps up the trip with a visit to Ohio Dominican on Saturday, Sept. 6. The Panthers are coming off a 5-7-6 season last year, which included a 5-4-5 mark in G-MAC play. The teams met in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, with the Pioneers earning victories in each match.
The Pioneers continue their non-conference slate as they visit Lee on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The Flames had a 7-5-6 record last season and a 6-2-4 mark in the Gulf South Conference. This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2019, with Tusculum leading the series by a 5-4 margin.
Tusculum plays its home opener on Sunday, Sept. 14 as they take on West Alabama for the fourth straight year. The Tigers were 3-9-3 overall and 2-7-3 in the GSC last season, but claimed a 1-0 victory over the Pioneers. Tusculum leads the all-time series over West Alabama 2-1-1.
The Pioneers visit Lander on Wednesday, Sept. 17 for their first meeting with the Bearcats since 2001. Lander was 9-4-5 last season and 3-2-4 in the Peach Belt Conference, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Tusculum beat Lander 4-0 in the only other meeting 24 years ago.
The Pioneers visit Newberry in their SAC opener on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Wolves were 6-6-4 overall last season but 1-6-4 in conference play. The Pioneers lost 1-0 to the Wolves last season but Tusculum still leads the series by a 20-5-5 margin.
Tusculum hosts Wingate on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The Bulldogs were the SAC regular season champions at 9-1-1 but lost 5-4 to Lincoln Memorial in the semifinals. Wingate fell 2-0 to North Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end the year at 12-4-3. The Bulldogs beat the Pioneers 3-1 last season and lead the all-time series 15-13-4.
September will wrap up with a trip to Anderson on Saturday, Sept. 27. The Trojans were tied for fifth in the SAC at 5-5-1 last season and posted an overall record of 9-7-2. Anderson beat Tusculum 1-0 last season and has taken an 8-7-5 lead in the all-time series.
The Pioneers play six of their seven October matches at home, starting on Wednesday, Oct. 1 against Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters were fourth in the SAC with a 6-2-3 record and advanced to the tournament finals where they lost 3-1 to Lenoir-Rhyne to end the season at 10-5-3. The teams played to a 1-1 draw last season, and the Pioneers have a 17-11-6 lead in the all-time series.
Tusculum hosts Mars Hill on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Lions were 1-13-1 last season and 0-10-1 in the SAC, which included a 5-0 Pioneer victory. Tusculum is 5-0-1 in its last six against Mars Hill and has a 28-7-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Lions.
The Pioneers step back out of conference play to face Lees-McRae on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Pioneer Field. The Bobcats had an outstanding 2024 season, going 9-0-3 in Conference Carolinas before being upset in the league playoffs to end the year at 10-2-4. Lees-McRae’s other loss was a 1-0 setback to the Pioneers, who leveled the all-time series at seven wins apiece.
The lone road trip of October is a visit to Catawba on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Indians were tied for second place in the SAC at 8-0-3 but were eliminated in the conference quarterfinals by Anderson. Catawba fell 6-0 to Columbus State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to end the season at 11-3-5. The Indians pulled out a 1-0 win over the Pioneers for their seventh straight victory in the series and a 17-10-4 lead all-time.
Tusculum is back home on Wednesday, Oct. 15 against Emory & Henry. The Wasps were ninth place in the SAC at 3-7-1 and finished 7-8-2 overall last season. The Pioneers claimed a 2-1 road win over the Wasps last season, and are 3-0-1 all-time in four meetings.
The Pioneers host Coker for Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Cobras were tied for fifth in the SAC at 5-5-1 and finished the season with a 9-6-2 overall record. Coker beat Tusculum 4-2 and has won three straight meetings to cut the Pioneers’ lead in the all-time series to 8-5-0.
The final home game of the 2025 regular season is a non-conference tilt with Bluefield State on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The Big Blues were 3-6-3 last season in an independent schedule, and will be facing the Pioneers for the first time.
Tusculum visits defending SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Nov. 1. After tying for second place in the conference in the regular season at 8-0-3, the Bears claimed the SAC tournament title with a 3-1 win over Lincoln Memorial, before falling 3-2 in overtime to Lander in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end the season at 13-2-5. The Bears beat the Pioneers 2-1 and have won seven in a row to build a 22-12-4 edge in the all-time series.
The regular season ends for the Pioneers on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at Carson-Newman. The Eagles took eighth place in the conference at 3-5-3 and ended the season with a 6-7-3 overall record. Tusculum lost 3-1 to Carson-Newman in last year’s finale and trails the all-time series 23-19 with three draws.
The SAC Championship tournament opens November 8-9 with quarterfinal games at campus sites, and wraps up in Matthews, North Carolina with semifinals on November 14 and finals on November 16.
