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By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – As play on the pitch sits within striking distance for the Tennessee Tech soccer team and its 2023 season, the Golden Eagles and head coach Steve Springthorpe have announced the club's upcoming fall schedule.

17 regular-season contests, a pair of exhibition affairs, nine Ohio Valley Conference get-togethers and a slew of intriguing non-conference rematches help highlight the imminent slate for the defending OVC regular-season champions.

The three-month journey kicks off with back-to-back road exhibition meetings that will see the purple and gold head to UNC Asheville on Aug. 9 and Belmont on Aug. 13, before officially unwrapping the 2023 season with an away clash at WKU on Aug. 17. TTU will then greet Chattanooga on Aug. 20 in the squad's home opener in the first of nine Cookeville contests for the Golden Eagles. Admission to all regular-season matches at Tech Soccer Field is free of charge.

"You look at this schedule and one of the first things that stands out is that it's competitive," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe said. "There are a lot of tough teams on it. You'll see conference champions and programs out there that have had their fair share of success over the years. The schedule itself has been built over the last few years and part of that means you will see a lot of games involving teams that we have played in the last year or two. There are a variety of return trips where we will head on the road after playing those teams at home last season or in 2021. Overall, I'm happy about the level of schedule we have put together and am excited to get going in just a few weeks."

Tech's tangle with the Hilltoppers on Aug. 17 and with the Mocs on Aug. 20 is part of an eight-match non-conference ledger that features clubs that the Golden Eagles played last year or in 2021, with the lone exception being a match at UAB on Sept. 7 after the 2022 meeting in Cookeville was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Following the home opener with UTC, Tech will travel to Liberty on Aug. 25 in a rematch of a tilt TTU claimed 1-0 at home in the 2021 season opener. The battle with the defending Atlantic Sun regular-season champion is also one of six meetings against a non-conference opponent that finished with a .500 or better record during league play last season.

The Golden Eagles will close out the month of August with an Aug. 31 matchup against ETSU at Tech Soccer Field, one of four non-conference home showdowns against in-state opponents.

"We have always tried to stay regionally based when it comes to building our non-conference schedule," Springthorpe said. "Some of that is for travel purposes and some of that is we know there are a lot of great teams that we can compete against that are relatively local and can help prepare us for our OVC schedule. You look at schools on this year's schedule like Chattanooga, ETSU, Lipscomb and Middle Tennessee and you are talking about teams we have routinely played and with that brings a high level of interest. A lot of our players are familiar with the players from those schools, whether it be within the club ranks or high school competition, so naturally that will generate more interest and good competition within those games."

After a road swing at IUPUI on Sept. 3 and UAB on Sept. 7, Tech will host Lipscomb on Sept. 10 before closing out the non-conference campaign with a Sept. 17 home meeting against Middle Tennessee in a rematch of a battle the Golden Eagles won 3-1 last year in Murfreesboro. The clashes with the Bisons and Blue Raiders are also part of a stretch that will see the purple and gold play five straight Sundays at home, ending with an Oct. 8 affair against newcomer to the OVC, Western Illinois, the only team on Tech's schedule in which the Golden Eagles have never faced before.

TTU's regular-season title defense will officially begin Sept. 21 at Lindenwood after the Golden Eagles ended the Lions' 2022 season with a 5-0 victory in the OVC Tournament semifinals. Following the OVC opener, Tech will embark on home stint that will see the purple and gold play four-of-five matches in Cookeville. The Golden Eagles will host Southern Indiana on Sept. 24 and Eastern Illinois on Oct. 1, and after a trip to the defending OVC Tournament champion, SIUE, on Oct. 5, TTU will return to Tech Soccer Field for on Oct. 8 match against Western Illinois and an Oct. 12 tussle with UT Martin.

Tech's final road swing of the regular season will see the Golden Eagles flock to SEMO on Oct. 15 and Morehead State on Oct. 19. The last match of the regular year is set for Oct. 22 against Little Rock in Cookeville.

"When you look at the conference part of the schedule, there of course have been some changes within the OVC over the last few years which have impacted who we play and where we play them," Springthorpe noted. "Last season we had the benefit of having some of the teams that are longer trips for us, your Lindenwood's, your SEMO's, your SIUE's come to our place, but now we will have to head to them this season which presents some challenges. The travel piece this year might be tough on us, but that is a challenge we will embrace."

The OVC Tournament is set to start with first-round action on Oct. 27. Second-round affairs are slated for Oct. 29. The semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 2 and the championship match is set for Nov. 5.

Photo by Jim Dillon