By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team has announced its 2021 schedule which features a full slate of games including three exhibitions and 16 regular season matchups.
The Skyhawks return to action after a strong conference-only spring campaign in which the team went 6-4-1 while finishing third in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The 2021 slate includes a total of 11 home matches – including three exhibitions to serve as a primer for the regular season.
UT Martin will host the three exhibition contests at Skyhawk Field with matchups against Memphis (Aug. 5), Western Kentucky (Aug. 7) and Arkansas State (Aug. 13) on the docket.
The season will officially kickoff on Aug. 19 when the Skyhawks play host to regional foe Southern Illinois. They will then hit the road for the next three contests with showdowns against Little Rock (Aug. 22), Indiana (Aug. 26) and Indiana State (Aug. 29) to complete the month of August.
September will feature the final four non-conference games of the season before opening league play in the last week. UT Martin returns home for a three-game homestand beginning on Sept. 2 against North Alabama while also welcoming Wright State (Sept. 5) and Western Carolina (Sept. 12) to Skyhawk Field. The team will conclude its non-conference slate with a road matchup against Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas on Sept. 19.
UT Martin begins its OVC championship push with its league opener on Sept. 26 against Austin Peay on the road before hosting Eastern Illinois (Sept. 30) the following week. The league schedule features three additional home matches against Tennessee Tech (Oct. 7), Murray State (Oct. 17) and Belmont (Oct. 21) along with three road contests at Southeast Missouri (Oct. 3), SIUE (Oct. 10) and Morehead State (Oct. 24).
The 2021 OVC Championship will feature an eight-team field and will begin on Oct. 29 with the No. 5 through No. 8 seeds playing in the opening round. The winners of the first round matchups will then advance to play the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Sunday, Oct. 31. All games in the first two rounds will be hosted by the better seed. The No. 1 seed (who will receive a bye to the semifinals along with the No. 2 seed) will host the semifinals and final on Nov. 5 with the championship held on Sunday, Nov. 7
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information