The Bruins men's soccer team captured their first NCCAA DII South Region Championship last season, but the team is ready to take the next step towards pursuit of a national title as the program released the
2021 season schedule.
"This schedule was designed to push us to grow," Bruins Interim Head Coach Greg Fulton said. "Every game presents a unique challenge which I believe will prepare us well for the postseason."
The Bruins had a dominant 2020 season despite battling through many of the challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. The team was unbeaten in region play during the regular season and outscored their region opponents 34-0.
Heading into the regional tournament, the Bruins continued their impressive play as the team shutout #4 Toccoa Falls College 7-0 before blanking #3 Trinity Baptist College 5-0 to capture their first region championship in program history.
The Bruins were ranked #1 in the NCCAA DII poll for most of the season and earned the #1 seed for the national tournament. The Bruins opened pool play with a 5-0 win over #6 Johnson University (TN) but the team was upset by #4 Randall University in overtime to end their championship hopes.
This season, the Bruins return to a full slate of games for the season and will face a challenging schedule throughout the year. The team will play in four South region games this season including a road match against rival Pensacola Christian College on October 2 in Pensacola, Florida.
Later on in the season, the Bruins will play Furman University (NCAA DI) on October 12 in Greenville, South Carolina. The season schedule also features several new opponents for the Bruins including Huntingdon College, Converse College, Mid Atlantic Christian University and Regent University. This year, the NCCAA DII South Regional Tournament will be played at Bob Jones University the weekend of November 3-6.
"We will be considered underdogs for many of these games and I am eager to see our guys reach deep and gain confidence," Coach Fulton said. "It will be an exciting year as we chase our goal of a banner season. We're excited to get started."
The Bruins open up the regular season on September 2 as the team faces Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina.
