ATHENS, Tenn. -- With the regular season opener just a week away, the Tennessee Tech soccer team will get its first taste of action Saturday with a exhibition match at Tennessee Wesleyan. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Golden Eagle coach Daniel Brizard is blending nine newcomers into his roster in 2013, so Saturday's match will be vitally important as the team continues fall camp.

"We've had some really good practices, and it's exciting to see how the new players are mixing in with the returning players," Brizard said. "This is an important time for our team, and we're all looking forward to the match. We plan to play as many people as we can and get a really good look at everybody in a game situation."

While both soccer teams are gearing up for their regular season opener, they have one thing in common -- both the Golden Eagles and Lady Bulldogs took time off this past week to do community service work at area elementary schools. Their duties were similar, as well, as each team worked outside in playground areas getting equipment ready with paint or mulch.

A year ago, Tech claimed an 8-0 win over the Bulldogs in an exhibition match. The Golden Eagles scored three goals in the first half before turning up the burners to add five more in the last 30 minutes of play.

"You always play to win, but we also want to win it by playing the way we want to play," Brizard said. "With so many new players, I think we'll see some early jitters, so it's a good chance to put those jitters behind us."

Ellie Iaciofano scored two goals to lead Tech. The team was impressively efficient during the contest, scoring eight goals on 12 shots on goal. The team added six assists to the performance as well.