GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's soccer team and head coach Kyle Hughes have announced a 16-match schedule for the 2026 season.
The Pioneers will play seven matches at Pioneer Field and nine on the road during the 2026 campaign, which opens on Saturday, August 29 at Converse and concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Emory & Henry. The Pioneers will play 10 of their 16 matches against South Atlantic Conference opponents, against whom they went 2-7-1 last season en route to a 5-9-1 overall record.
Tusculum welcomes back 17 players from last year's squad, including eight who made at least one start, as Hughes begins his third season as head coach of the Pioneers.
The Pioneers travel to Converse for their season opener on Saturday, August 29 for the earliest opener since 2022. The Valkyries were 7-7-3 overall and 6-4-3 in Conference Carolinas last season, with a 3-2 loss to Emmanuel in the league quarterfinals. The only previous meeting between the teams was in 2024, with Converse taking a 1-0 win at home.
Tusculum will be on the road one week later at Lee on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Flames are coming off a 5-7-4 season in 2025 which included a 2-5-4 mark in the Gulf South Conference. This will be the first meeting between the schools since 2021, when Lee earned a 4-0 victory at home to even the all-time series at seven wins apiece.
The home opener for the Pioneers will be the first-ever meeting with Southern Wesleyan on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Pioneer Field. The Warriors were 4-9-3 overall last season and 2-8-3 in Conference Carolinas.
Tusculum travels to Coker on Saturday, Sept. 12 to face a Cobras squad that tied for fifth in the SAC at 3-4-3 and ended with a 3-5-7 overall record last season. Coker lost to Lincoln Memorial 2-1 in the SAC quarterfinals, but beat the Pioneers 3-2 in the regular season to take a 7-6 lead in the all-time series.
The Pioneers continue on the road at Mars Hill on Saturday, Sept. 19. The Lions tied for seventh in the SAC at 2-4-4 and fell 3-0 to Anderson in the SAC quarterfinals to end the year with a 4-6-7 overall record. The Pioneers have not defeated the Lions since 2019 (0-4-3), but still lead the all-time series by a 16-13-7 advantage.
Tusculum enjoys a two-match week at home starting with Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The Railsplitters are the defending SAC Tournament championship, going 6-2-2 and tying for third place in the regular season before defeating Lenoir-Rhyne 2-0 in the finals. LMU then lost in penalty kicks to Anderson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end the year at 9-7-3. One of LMU's two conference losses was a 2-1 setback to the Pioneers, but the Railsplitters still lead the all-time series 18-13-7.
The Pioneers are home to take on Catawba on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Indians were last in the SAC last season at 1-6-3 and finished with an overall 5-7-3 record, which included a 1-0 home loss to the Pioneers on a goal in the 90th minute. The Pioneers have the lead in the all-time series by a margin of 17-13-3.
Tusculum closes out September with a trip to Lees-McRae on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The Bobcats were a semifinalist in the Conference Carolinas tournament and had a 6-6-7 overall record with a 4-4-5 mark in league play. The Pioneers beat the Bobcats 2-0 on the road last season to stretch their advantage all-time to 18-7-1.
The Pioneers travel to defending SAC regular-season champion Anderson on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Trojans were 7-1-2 in conference play and were eliminated in the SAC semifinals by Lenoir-Rhyne, then dropped a 2-0 decision to Lynn in the NCAA second round to end the year with an 11-2-6 record. The Trojans are 5-0-2 in their last seven matches with the Pioneers, including a 3-1 win last season, and now lead the all-time series 11-7-3.
Tusculum hosts rival Carson-Newman on Wednesday, Oct. 7 in the 45th all-time meeting between the schools. The Eagles failed to qualify for the SAC Tournament last season with a 3-10-3 overall record and a 3-6-1 mark in SAC play. This will be the first time since 2021 that the Pioneers and Eagles have not played the regular-season finale. Carson-Newman won last year's matchup 2-1 at home but Tusculum continues to lead the series 19-18 with seven draws.
The Pioneers head to Wingate for a matchup against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 10. Wingate tied for fifth in the SAC with a 3-4-3 record and ended the year with a 3-9-3 overall record. Wingate has won five straight meetings over Tusculum, including a 4-1 victory last season, and leads the all-time series 18-16-0.
For the second straight year, the Pioneers will play at Bob Jones on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The Bruins were 6-8-3 overall last season and lost 3-2 to Toccoa Falls in the NCCAA Division II South Region Championship. The Pioneers won 2-0 in the first meeting between the programs last season.
The Pioneers will play their final three home matches of the season in succession, starting Sunday, Oct. 18 against Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears tied for third in the SAC at 6-2-2 and advanced to the conference championship match, where their season ended at 8-5-4 following a 2-0 loss to Lincoln Memorial. The Pioneers are 0-4-2 in their last six meetings with the Bears, including a 2-1 loss last season, but Tusculum still leads the all-time series 18-14-5.
Tusculum is home with Trevecca Nazarene on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the final non-conference match of the season. The Trojans were 6-8-3 overall and 3-6-2 in the Gulf South Conference last season, with a 5-1 loss to Mississippi Christian in the conference quarterfinals. The Pioneers have won both of their meetings with the Trojans, including a 1-0 road win last season.
Senior Day will be Saturday, Oct. 24 against Newberry. The Wolves tied for seventh in the SAC at 2-4-4 and had a 6-4-4 overall record last season, but claimed just their second win in 26 meetings with the Pioneers with a 2-1 victory. Tusculum has the 19-2-5 advantage in the all-time series.
The Pioneers visit Emory & Henry to wrap up the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Wasps had a remarkable turnaround in 2025, placing second in the SAC standings at 6-1-3 and finishing with an 8-4-5 overall record. The Wasps earned their first-ever win over the Pioneers following five losses with a 2-1 victory last year.
The top eight teams in the SAC standings will qualify for the SAC Championship Tournament, which begins at campus sites on Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. The semifinals and finals will be played at the Sportsplex at Matthews, North Carolina with the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6 and the final on Sunday, Nov. 8.
