JACKSON, Tenn. – Union men's soccer heads to Arkansas to commence its 27th season of competition and 13th as a member of the Gulf South Conference with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Harding University on Thursday and an away affair with Ouachita Baptist at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The Bulldogs recently completed an exhibition slate of Freed-Hardeman, Rhodes, and Lincoln Memorial. Following these westward travels, Union will open a four-game homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and the conference calendar Sept. 20. Admission at all 2024-25 home athletic events is complimentary thanks to the partnership of FirstBank.

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Union vs. Harding | Thursday, Sept. 5 | 1:00 p.m. | Searcy, Ark.

Union is unbeaten (3W, 1D) in its last four meetings with Harding, which last overcame the Bulldogs in 2016 by a score of 1-0. Last season, Harding salvaged a late draw after Union had taken a 3-0 lead early in the second half. Thursday's match will make 2024 the fourth consecutive season featuring an encounter between the Bulldogs and the Bisons.

Harding has been predicted to finish sixth of seven in the consolidated MIAA/GAC coaches poll after finishing the 2023 season 6-11-1 (4-8-0). Union, whose remodeled 2024 roster features 15 new names (seven transfers, eight freshmen), looks to improve on 3-10-2 (1-9-1).

Jon Ireland, ninth-year Harding boss, has a record of 56-58-14 (.492) in his current post.

The Bulldogs are unbeaten (5W, 1D) in their previous six season-opening matches, with wins over Ouachita Baptist (2), Harding, Trevecca Nazarene and Delta State. The most recent Union defeat in a prefatory fixture was a 2-1 occasion with West Alabama in 2017. Meanwhile, Harding, for which this contest is also the opener, hasn't begun 1-0 since 2019.

Union vs. Ouachita Baptist | Saturday, Sept. 7 | 4:00 p.m. | Arkadelphia, Ark.

The Bulldogs haven't lost (5W, 1D) to the Tigers since 2017, outscoring OBU in the last six repetitions of the near-annual game 12-3. Last time out, in 2023, a trio of Union goals before intermission was all the offense in the match, which Union led in shots on goal 8-2.

Union will be the second GSC team OBU faces to start the year, as the Tigers and the Bucs of Christian Brothers will spar on Thursday.

The MIAA/GAC preseason poll predicts that the Tigers will finish last, a portent that hardly hyperbolizes the recent schneid: OBU claimed a single victory (1-27-8) between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

OBU is led by rookie head coach Wes Holifield.

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