MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner Men's Soccer released its 2021 schedule Monday featuring 15 regular season contests and two scrimmages. "I think every game is going to be exciting and important this year," Interim Head Coach Gabriel De Queiroz said. 

First Things First
The Eagles will start their season August 14 with a scrimmage against MLS's Atlanta United U20s at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium. The academy for the Five Stripes saw 12 players join collegiate rosters, with 11 going NCAA D1 last year and has a large track record of professional players at both club and international levels. "It's going to be really exciting for a lot of reasons," Queiroz said. "Bringing a big brand like Atlanta United to our turf to our campus is exciting. I'm happy they worked with us and made that happen."

Faulkner will travel across town to Huntingdon to face the Hawks in a final scrimmage tuneup before the season on August 21. 

Old, but Familiar Faces
Of the eight non-conference opponents, only one is a new foe, but three of them Faulkner will face for the first time since 2013. The Eagles open the season August 24 on the road against sister school Freed-Hardeman. This will be the seventh meeting between the sides but the first since 2009. Faulkner travels to Mobile Sept. 6 to face former SSAC foe Spring Hill for the first time since the Badgers switched to NCAA D2. Reinhardt will host the all-Eagle matchup Sept. 22 marking the first match since 2010. 

New Opponent
Only one new non-conference opponent is on the schedule this year and that is NCAA D3 Mississippi University for Women. Faulkner travels to Columbus, Miss. to face the Owls Sept. 4.

Defending the New Turf
After 664 days away from its home field, Faulkner welcomes Life University, who will begin its final season in the Mid-South Conference before joining the SSAC, for the first on campus game Faulkner Men's Soccer has had since Nov. 2, 2019 to kick off the regular season August 27. "It's exciting," Queiroz said. "It's exciting for the guys to get to come back home and play on new turf, a new environment. It's just another thing to get them excited for the season." This will be the first time the Running Eagles have come to Montgomery for men's soccer. The Night Hawks of Thomas come to town Sept. 1 before two annual opponents come later in the month. Conference rival Mobile will come to town to play a non-conference game Sept. 16 and Pensacola Christian will come Sept. 18. 

SSAC Showdowns
The Eagles will open and close the new-look conference season with, what have traditionally been, the biggest tests. Sept. 30, Faulkner travels to William Carey to start conference play and will face Mobile two days later on the road as well. The Eagles will close their season against Dalton State on Oct. 28. 

Sandwiched in the schedule are two new SSAC opponents in Talladega and Blue Mountain. The Tornadoes will come to Montgomery for the first time in the league Oct. 7 and Blue Mountain's brand-new program comes to the newly-resurfaced John Mark Stallings Field Oct. 9. "This conference will surprise you," Queiroz said. "We're not going to underestimate anybody. I'm sure they're going to come here trying to prove that they can earn a spot in our conference. We're going to respect them and play like we play everybody in our conference."

After those two contests, the Eagles will take a week off before traveling to Middle Georgia and Brewton-Parker Oct. 21 and Oct. 23.

The entire schedule, including kickoff times, can be found here.