By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team can officially set its sights toward the spring, as the Ohio Valley Conference secured the next step in resuming competition with the announcement of the 2021 schedule.
The Golden Eagles will welcome a 10-match, conference-only slate that will span six weeks, kicking off at the beginning of March. Regular-season contests will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays, beginning with a Mar. 2 affair at Austin Peay. Tech will host five matches, including the home opener on Mar. 12 against Eastern Illinois.
Start times will be announced at a later date. As with all events during the COVID-19 pandemic, all dates and times are subject to change. Teams will play in accordance with local regulations, NCAA medical guidelines and supporting OVC standards.
"I want to first say that we are thankful that the Ohio Valley Conference sees the importance of playing our soccer season in 2020-21. We are excited to see that we are playing an OVC schedule starting Mar. 2," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe said. "My first impression of the schedule was one of thankfulness that we are playing a complete 10-game OVC slate. It is important that we play a full schedule in the conference to find a true OVC regular-season champion."
After Tech's first clash at Austin Peay, the Golden Eagles will take their lone bye of the campaign with an open date on the first Friday of the season on Mar. 5. Following a trip to Morehead on Mar. 9, the Golden Eagles will open their home portion of the docket with a Mar. 12 battle against Eastern Illinois.
The third week of the regular season features a Mar. 16 home match against last year's OVC Tournament champion, Belmont, before the Golden Eagles head to the defending regular-season champion, SEMO, on Mar. 19.
"Looking at the schedule I do like that we are going to play a slate that gives us more time off between games," Springthorpe noted. "Usually we play a Friday-Sunday schedule with just one day off between games. With this format we will have two days between games, which will allow us more recovery time and will overall benefit the student-athlete."
After a Mar. 23 contest at Murray State to kick off the fourth week of the year, Tech will enjoy a significant stretch of home action that will see the Golden Eagles play three of the final four matches of the regular season in Cookeville. Tech will welcome UT Martin on Mar. 26, SIUE on Mar. 30 and Eastern Kentucky on Apr. 6 on the final day of the regular season. TTU's last road affair is at Jacksonville State on Apr. 2.
"Playing at home in this league is vital. Of course, we all play an equal amount of home and away, and while I would like to think playing at home down the stretch is an advantage, this hasn't always been the case," Springthorpe said. "It's as important to win on the road as much as at home in order to clinch a spot in the OVC Tournament. We will not get side tracked and wait until the end of the season to make our push toward the tournament. We must be ready to play on the road from game one at Austin Peay. Every game matters."
Details on the OVC Tournament will be announced at a later date.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
