JACKSON, Tenn. – Lady Bulldog soccer heads for Arkansas and East Tennessee for a pair of season-opening matches with Harding and Carson-Newman on Thursday (11:00 a.m.) and Saturday (2:30 p.m.).

2024 is the 20th season of Union women's soccer, its 13th of affiliation with the GSC, and its third under head coach Josh Alford.

Union will play one more contest – Sept. 11 at McKendree – on the road before the home opener against #16 Nova Southeastern on Sept. 20. Admission at home athletic events during the 2024-25 year is complimentary as a courtesy of FirstBank.

Visit uuathletics.com/coverage for live stat and streaming links.


Union vs. Harding | Thursday, Sept 5. | 11:00 a.m. | Searcy, Ark

Last season, Harding allowed an even goal per contest while scoring just 0.83. The Lady Bisons scored more than once on only three occasions in 2023.

After Harding posted a 4-8-6 (2-5-5) mark in 2023, GAC voters have picked the Lady Bisons to finish in fifth place of seven in the preseason conference poll.

The Lady Bulldogs beat Harding in 2023 and 2022 by an aggregate of 5-1. In 2021 and 2015, Harding got the better of Union.

Dr. Greg Harris, Harding's 24th-year head coach, has a career record of 161-202-43 (.450). Between 2003 and 2015, Harris won six conference Coach of the Year awards. 

The Lady Bisons return two 2023 All-GAC Second Team selections: forward Whitney Thomas (#10) and midfielder Regan Thompson (#17).

Union is winless (0-4-0) in season-openers since 2020. Harding is 3-1-1 in the last five such games. 


Union vs. Carson-Newman | Saturday, Sept. 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Jefferson City, Tenn.

Carson-Newman's 2023 season came to an end at 8-8-3 (5-4-2) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. SAC voters have slotted the team at T-4th of 12 in the preseason conference poll. 

Felicia Frick (#6), a Lady Eagle midfielder who scored tallied 14 points last season (4G, 6A), was named to the preseason All-SAC Second Team.

Third Team selections include F Krista Nielsen (#13), F Anita Arnafottir (#7), M Alba Delgado (#10), and M Selina Jud (#9).

Coach Simon Duffy, in his eighth season at Carson-Newman, has a record of 77-32-13 (.684) with the Lady Eagles and a career mark of 144-139-23 (.508) between Carson-Newman, King, and Lambuth.

The Lady Eagles are 41-13-6 at home under Duffy.

Carson-Newman kicks off its season Thursday at #23 Columbus State.

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