University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Soccer Releases Schedule for 2016 Season
May 31, 2016 | Soccer
2016 UT Soccer Schedule 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee soccer has released its schedule for the upcoming 2016 season. The slate will feature 19 regular-season games, 12 of which will be played in Knoxville at Regal Soccer Stadium, and seven road contests.
The Volunteers will welcome 2015 NCAA Tournament participant Clemson for an exhibition match on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m., before opening regular-season play on Friday, Aug. 19 when they host Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m.
The Big Orange will have the privilege of playing their first four games of the year at home with contests against Liberty (Aug. 21), Washington (Aug. 25) and ETSU (Aug. 28) following the season-opener against Southeast Missouri State. UT’s first road game will be at BYU on Sept. 2 in Provo, Utah. The Cougars are one of eight opponents the Vols will take on this year who advanced to last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee will begin Southeastern Conference play at home when Alabama comes to town on Sept. 9. Other home SEC contests include showdowns with Missouri (Sept. 15), Vanderbilt (Sept. 30), Texas A&M (Oct. 9), Mississippi State (Oct. 20) and South Carolina (Oct. 23). The Aggies and Gamecocks both advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season with Texas A&M just missing out on a trip to the College Cup.
A tough road slate awaits the Vols in SEC play as they will have to go to Georgia (Sept. 22), Florida (Sept. 25), LSU (Oct. 6), Kentucky (Oct. 14) and Auburn (Oct. 27). Florida, LSU and Auburn were three of the conference’s top teams last season, and all three moved on to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Following regular-season play, the SEC Tournament will be held in Orange Beach, Ala., from Oct. 31-Nov. 6. The first round of NCAA Tournament games will take place during the second weekend of November. The NCAA Women’s College Cup will be back in Cary, N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park for the second straight year. The semifinal games will take place on Friday, Dec. 2 with the National Championship contest to be played on Sunday, Dec. 4. Check out the full schedule by clicking HERE.
The Vols are coming off their fifth winning season in the past six years and their 15th overall after going 7-5-6 in 2015 despite having to deal with a litany of injuries throughout the year. UT returns 20 players from last season’s team, including 13 players that saw action in 11 or more games. Star forward Hannah Wilkinson and starting midfielder Michele Christy, who both missed all of last season due to injuries, are also set to return for the Big Orange in 2016.
A talented group of newcomers should provide the Vols with a big boost as well, as six new players will join the team this fall. The group is headlined by a pair of IMG Academy Top 150 recruits in Erin Gilroy and MA Vignola, and also features the 2014 Wisconsin Gatorade State Player of the Year in Emily Cervantes.
