In addition to settling into the new year in a few months, we will also be settling into the SXU men’s soccer season. For COVID-19 reasons, the team’s fall season was moved to the upcoming spring season. Therefore, the Cougars will storm Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field, the team’s home turf, in late February of 2021.
Last fall, the SXU men’s soccer team made it to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament Quarterfinal but lost to Olivet Nazarene University 2-3. They finished with an overall record of 9-7-2 and a conference record of 8-3-1.
Although the Cougars ended the previous season early on in the CCAC Tournament, they still finished with a winning record to use as a chip on their shoulders for this upcoming season. Currently, the SXU men’s soccer schedule consists only of conference games. They play their first game of the 2020-2021 season at home on February 27th against conference rival Trinity Christian College whom the Cougars beat last year.
SXU is then away at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, on March 2nd. The team’s next two games are at home, playing against Indiana University Northwest on March 6th and Calumet College of St. Joseph on March 10th.
Next, the team plays an away game against Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, on March 13th. Then, the Cougars are back at home to play Cardinal Stritch University on March 16th. The SXU men’s team will be hungry for this win, especially because Cardinal Stritch knocked them out of the CCAC Tournament last year. They then travel to Bourbonnais, Illinois, to play Olivet Nazarene University on March 20th. On the 24th, the Cougars play on their home turf against the University of Saint Francis. Next, the team heads to University Park, Illinois, to play Governors State University on March 27th. SXU wraps up March with a home game against Judson University on the 30th.
The team begins April with two away games in a row starting in Normal, Illinois, on April 3rd against Lincoln College, a new conference opponent, and finishing in Chicago, Illinois, on April 7th against Roosevelt University. The Cougars conclude the regular season with a home game against Holy Cross College on April 10th.
Depending on how the SXU men’s soccer team plays against their conference opponents, they may have the chance to compete in the CCAC Tournament with the Quarterfinals on April 13th, the Semifinals on April 15th, and the Championship on April 17th. The Cougars may also have the opportunity to play in the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Tournament starting on April 22nd. This depends on the team’s standings from conference play and their possible success in the CCAC Tournament.
The future looks bright for the SXU men’s soccer team with their conference opponents, considering they won eight out of their fourteen conference games from last season. Their only conference losses were against Cardinal Stritch University, Olivet Nazarene University, and Roosevelt University, and the team had a tie game against Governors State University. The Cougars will be looking for rematches against these teams come February, March, and April of 2021.
While we count down the days until the SXU men’s soccer season opener, it is without a doubt that they will be a talented team to keep an eye on. Their winning record from last season brings high hopes that the Cougars will have lots of success on Deaton Field in the upcoming spring.