Rising senior Chloe Arnold vs. Austin Peay.
The Chattanooga women’s soccer schedule features 10 home contests, including a first-time home match against Indiana State, and a road trip to Knoxville to take on Tennessee, head coach Gavin McKinney announced Wednesday.
The soccer team will host the first on-campus event for the UTC athletics department. At this time, the Mocs’ preseason match against Tennessee Tech on August 15 is set to kick off the fall.
“First and foremost, our program is anticipating the moment when we get back on the pitch together,” McKinney said.
“I think that this long break will really make us appreciate the fall.”
The Mocs will open the regular season at home against Belmont on August 21 at the UTC Sports Complex. That will be followed two days later with a Sunday matchup against Alabama A&M.
Other home contests include Missouri Valley foe Indiana State in the first meeting in Chattanooga between the two programs and Eastern Kenucky, one of three OVC opponents on the schedule. The last time UTC and the Sycamores squared off was in a three-team tournament at Murray State with the Mocs scoring a 3-0 shutout.
For the first time since 2010, the Mocs and Lady Vols will face off with a match in Knoxville to kick off UTC road slate in the last weekend of August. This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams with the Vols holding a 5-0 advantage.
UTC will also take on North Alabama, OVC opponent Austin Peay and close the non-conference slate at Georgia State.
The Mocs, who finished tied for fifth in the Southern Conference, will open the 2020 league schedule on the road at UNCG. The Spartans and UTC tied in the first round of the SoCon Tournament last fall with UNCG advancing on penalty kicks.
Chattanooga will be on the road at VMI, Furman and Wofford while hosting Samford, ETSU, Western Carolina, The Citadel and closing the regular season with Mercer.
“In regards to the schedule, it is challenging as usual,” McKinney said. “I know the players and staff are anxiously awaiting the start of the season. It cannot come soon enough for us all.”
All of the Mocs home matches will be played at the UTC Sports Complex and admission is free. Please check the website often for game attendance due to the COVID-19 Pandemic while following CDC guidelines.