Storm men’s soccer releases fall schedule
INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The Simpson men's soccer team will kickoff its season inside Buxton Stadium on Sept. 1 after head coach Rick Isaacson announced the 2020 schedule on Wednesday.
"We have created a regionally competitive schedule that will test the limits of our team this fall," said Isaacson. "The nonconference portion of our schedule should prepare our team for the rigors of an always difficult American Rivers Conference slate. I am eager to see where we stand amongst the top teams in the North region."
After going 16-4-2 in 2019 to tie the program mark for wins in a season, the Storm ended third in the A-R-C standings for the fifth-straight year. Simpson will look to use that success as motivation this fall as the squad takes off four teams that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament: Central, Gustavus Adolphus, Luther and Wisconsin-Superior.
Along with those four programs, Carleton, Dubuque, Loras and Wartburg were all regionally ranked at one point last fall that the Storm will face-off against this year. The Dutch, Norse, Gusties and Duhawks capped off the United Soccer Coaches North Region final rankings as the top-four squads.
Augustana visits town for the season opener that starts a run of four-straight home matches for the Storm. That stretch is highlighted by the Sept. 6 dual against Gustavus Adolphus. The Gusties managed to hand Simpson its first loss last year and went on to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Storm finally hit the road on Friday, Sept. 11 to visit Concordia-Moorhead and stay there for another day to take on Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday. The Yellowjackets earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the second-straight season after defeating Central in the opener.
League play begins on Sept. 26 as Simpson takes on three-straight conference foes that were regionally ranked, Dubuque, Loras and the Dutch. A-R-C play is halted with a home match against Wisconsin-Platteville on Oct. 9, but then league action resumes on Oct. 13 against Coe.
The Storm travel to Luther on Oct. 17 for a rematch after Simpson pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Norse last season. The triumph handed the Storm their first win over Luther in nine tries, but the Norse rebounded by reaching the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
Buena Vista visits on Oct. 21 for the last regular season home match, before Simpson visits Wartburg and Nebraska Wesleyan to close out the season.
2020 Simpson Men's Soccer Schedule |
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| Date | Opponent | Location | 2019 Record |
| 9/1 | Augustana | Buxton Stadium | 6-7-2, 3-4-1 CCIW |
| 9/5 | Cornell | Buxton Stadium | 5-10-3, 3-4-2 MIDWEST |
| 9/6 | Gustavus Adolphus | Buxton Stadium | 18-3-1, 9-1-0 MIAC |
| 9/9 | Westminster (Mo.) | Buxton Stadium | 5-12-0, 5-4-0 SLIAC |
| 9/11 | at Concordia-Moorhead | Moorhead, Minn. | 9-7-2, 3-7-0 MIAC |
| 9/12 | vs. Wisconsin-Superior | Moorhead, Minn. | 17-3-3, 8-0-0 UMAC |
| 9/17 | Grinnell | Buxton Stadium | 7-9-1, 3-5-1 MIDWEST |
| 9/19 | at Minnesota-Morris | Morris, Minn. | 5-14-0, 3-5-0 UMAC |
| 9/20 | Carleton | Buxton Stadium | 14-5-1, 6-3-1 MIAC |
| 9/23 | at St. Mary's (Minn.) | Winona, Minn. | 8-10-0, 4-6-0 MIAC |
| 9/26 | Dubuque* | Buxton Stadium | 10-6-2, 5-2-1 A-R-C |
| 10/3 | Loras* | Buxton Stadium | 15-6-1, 6-2-0 A-R-C |
| 10/7 | at Central* | Pella, Iowa | 14-4-2, 6-1-1 A-R-C |
| 10/9 | Wisconsin-Platteville | Buxton Stadium | 8-8-3 |
| 10/13 | Coe* | Buxton Stadium | 7-11-0, 2-6-0 A-R-C |
| 10/17 | at Luther* | Decorah, Iowa | 17-5-3, 5-3-0 A-R-C |
| 10/21 | Buena Vista* | Buxton Stadium | 1-14-1, 0-8-0 A-R-C |
| 10/24 | at Wartburg* | Waverly, Iowa | 8-8-2, 4-4-0 A-R-C |
| 10/27 | at Nebraska Wesleyan* | Lincoln, Neb. | 7-8-3, 1-6-1 A-R-C |
| *American Rivers Conference Match | |||
