LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock Soccer has finally unveiled its 2020 schedule, subject to change. At this point in time, the Trojans are set to play four non-conference games followed by an eight-game intradivisional conference schedule.
The Sun Belt Conference delayed the start of fall competition to September 3, effectively eliminating three weeks of preseason and non-conference play during a typical soccer season. The canceled non-conference games, including a first-time regular season matchup against Arkansas, still appear on the Little Rock schedule.
View the 2020 Little Rock soccer schedule here
However, head coach Mark Foster is looking at the bright side in terms of the delayed season. "We normally don't get much time with the girls before we start competing," he explained. "They usually get back in August and then play games a week later, so now we have four extra weeks to train. It's a good opportunity to grow together and get mentally and physically fit after being gone for so long, so we feel lucky to be doing that."
New Conference Play Format
Sun Belt teams have been split into regions, putting Little Rock into the West Division with Arkansas State, Louisiana, Texas State and ULM. The Little Rock Trojans will play each of these four teams twice, once at home and once away.
In an effort to limit team travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trojans will not play teams in the East Division, which is made up of Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama and Troy, until the Sun Belt Tournament.
"It's the wise thing to do," added coach Foster. "Right now in the current climate it's the best way to reduce travel. It will make soccer more competitive though, because everyone is going to be eyeing those second games. They're going to be tough battles, but we're thankful that the Sun Belt is finding us ways to have a season."
#LittleRocksTeam in Action
The Trojans will see their first action on Thursday, Sept. 3 at home, facing Tulsa at 6 p.m. for their home opener. Their following two non-conference games will be on the road: Oklahoma State on Sept. 6 and the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross/Blue Shield at Central Arkansas on Sept. 10. Little Rock hosts Louisiana Tech on Sept. 13 before heading into Sun Belt play.
"Scheduling has been difficult because each conference is on a different page, which is understandable," said coach Foster. "We're hoping we can still get our games in because right now we can get our players tested quickly. Even if we have to make some changes, we're going to continue to organize games against tough opponents to challenge our girls and let them have the best season possible, especially for our seniors since they have given so much to this program and really deserve that."
Meanwhile, the four home conference matches will be spread out: two will be in late September, followed by two in mid-October. The Trojans will take on ULM as its first Sun Belt opponent of the year on Sept. 18, followed by Texas State visiting the Coleman Sports Complex on Sept. 25.
Little Rock will then go on a three-game road stretch in October, facing Arkansas State on Oct. 1, Louisiana on Oct. 9 and ULM on Oct. 11. The Trojans will return to the home pitch to host in-state rivals Arkansas State on Oct. 15.
A quick trek to Texas State on Oct. 18 marks the last away game of conference play for the Trojans. Little Rock soccer will end its regular season at home, welcoming Louisiana on Oct. 23 in a chance to solidify its Sun Belt Championship berth. Currently, the tournament is slated to take place Nov. 4-8 in Foley, Alabama.
For the latest information on Little Rock Soccer, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockSOC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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