LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock soccer has announced its 2019 schedule, unveiling a challenging 20-match slate for the reigning Sun Belt Conference tournament champions. The Trojans will play 10 matches at the Coleman Sports Complex, including five key Sun Belt Conference games.
2019 Little Rock Soccer Schedule
"This will be a challenging season for us across the board, both in non-conference and Sun Belt competition," said head coach
Mark Foster. "We play a handful of reigning conference champions and some of the top teams in the nation. We will have a lot of roster changes, but I'm excited with the players we have coming in and seeing how they respond to the challenge."
The Trojans open the 2019 season with three-straight road matches, beginning in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with an exhibition contest against Northwestern State on August 17. Little Rock then heads east on I-40 for a showdown at Memphis on August 22, followed by a meeting with UT Martin on August 25, as the two teams posted a combined record of 32-7-1 last season .
Little Rock's first home match of the season will take place on Wednesday, August 28, when the Trojans welcome Grambling to Coleman for a 6 p.m. match under the lights. Little Rock then travels to Tulsa to battle the Golden Hurricane on Friday, August 30.
September opens up a key non-conference stretch for Little Rock, which plays four of its final five conference tune-ups at home. That stretch begins on Sunday, September 1 when the Trojans welcome Missouri State before heading to Big 12 foe TCU for a September 5 match in Fort Worth.
The final three non-conference matches for the Trojans will all take place on their home turf, beginning with the Governor's I-40 Showdown match-up with Central Arkansas on Sunday, September 8. Mississippi Valley State (September 12) and Southeastern Louisiana (September 15) conclude Little Rock's pre-Sun Belt schedule.
"Our non-conference schedule is really challenging, which is what I wanted to have," Foster said. "We needed to schedule tough teams to prepare for the challenge of the Sun Belt Conference. We're playing a pair of regular season champions in UT Martin and Central Arkansas, and I'm excited to go to both Memphis and TCU, who are two of the top teams in the nation. We also play some very good programs at home, which will give some great opportunities for our fans to come see us compete against some high caliber teams."
Little Rock's Sun Belt title defense begins with a road swing to Georgia, beginning with its conference opener in Atlanta against Georgia State on September 20. The Trojans then make the trip to Statesboro, taking on Georgia Southern on September 22.
The Trojans then face a key stretch in the conference slate, opening a five-match home stand a at the Coleman Sports Complex. That home stand begins with arguably the most anticipated match of the conference slate when Little Rock hosts reigning Sun Belt regular season champion Texas State on Friday, September 27, leading into a matchup with Louisiana on Sunday, September 29.
Coastal Carolina then makes the trip to the capital city for a Friday, October 4 matchup, before an off Sunday for the Trojans. Little Rock closes out its home schedule for 2019 the following week, hosting ULM on Friday, October 11 before taking on Appalachian State on Sunday, October 13.
The final three matches of the regular season takes Little Rock back on the road, beginning with the Alabama road swing. The Trojans face Troy on Friday, October 18, before heading to Mobile to take on South Alabama on Sunday, October 20. The regular season then concludes with the rivalry showdown with Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Sunday, October 27.
"This year's Sun Belt schedule will be tougher than ever, especially knowing we'll have a target on our back," said Foster. "Looking across the improvements throughout the conference and the players each team has added, we know this year's Sun Belt race will be tough but very exciting."
Little Rock looks to build on the success of last season, which saw the Trojans set a new program record for victories in a season (13) while capturing their first-ever tournament title and making the program's first NCAA tournament experience. All games at the Coleman Sports Complex in 2019 will once again be free admission for all spectators.
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