SEGUIN, Texas -- Ahead of the program's 34th season, the TLU women's soccer team released its full schedule for the 2026 campaign on Thursday.
The Bulldogs are coming off a historic season in Seguin in which the program won its first-ever SCAC Regular Season crown. In 2026, the Bulldogs will look to further cement themselves as a force to be reckoned with both inside the league and nationally.
This year, four of TLU's 17 regular season opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season, as four of the Bulldogs nine non-conference matches will come against NCAA Tournament-caliber competition.
For the third straight season, the Bulldogs will open the season at home. Following a home exhibition match against Division-II Texas A&M International, Texas Lutheran will officially open the 2026 campaign on Sept. 1 against Mary Hardin-Baylor at Gustafson Field. Last year, the Crusaders went 8-6-6 and were the American Southwest Conference (ASC) Regular Season Champions. The two teams faced off late last season in Belton with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.
Two days later, TLU will travel to Kerrville for a matchup against Schreiner for the first of two matchups against former SCAC foes as five days later TLU will travel to Abilene to face the 2025 SCAC Tournament Champions, the McMurry War Hawks. The Bulldogs beat Schreiner 3-0 and McMurry tied the Bulldogs 1-1 last season at Gustafson Field.
Texas Lutheran will face off against perennial powerhouse Cal Lutheran for the first-time ever at Gustafson Field on Sept. 13. Cal Lutheran, the 2023 Women's Soccer National Champions, advanced to the Round of 16 last season.
Following the matchup with the Regals, TLU will play a trio of matches against ASC foes at Gustafson Field starting with East Texas Baptist just four days later on Sept. 17. The run of ASC foes continues with a rare Saturday match against Howard Payne on Sept. 19. The Bulldogs won the 2025 match against the Yellow Jackets, 3-1 in Brownwood. The final match against ASC opponents comes against the 2025 ASC Tournament Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier, Hardin-Simmons on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.
The last two matches of the non-conference slate are familiar rivals, as the Bulldogs first host Trinity on Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers also made the NCAA Tournament, marking a stretch of four out of six opponents TLU will face that qualified for the tournament last season.
Rounding out the non-conference schedule, TLU will host Southwestern on Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. Last year's game left no shortage of drama, as the Bulldogs secured a 1-0 win in the final 10 minutes of action thanks to
Lilly Noblett's SportsCenter-worthy goal.
TLU's SCAC slate will consist of eight matches, an even split of four at home and four on the road.
TLU will open its conference schedule on Oct. 2 in Seguin against LeTourneau at 7:30 p.m. Following this matchup, TLU will then host Austin College on Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. In 2025, these two teams opened conference play against each other, with TLU winning both matchups by a combined score of 8-1.
The Bulldogs will conclude its massive nine-match homestand in conference play on Oct. 9 against Concordia (TX) at 7:30 p.m.
To begin the back half of October, TLU will have its first of four straight SCAC road matchups, facing off against St. Thomas on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m before traveling to Shreveport to face Centenary on Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m.
TLU will head to Arkansas to conclude their regular season road slate, facing off against Hendrix on Oct. 23 in Conway before traveling to Clarksville for a matchup against Ozarks (AR) on Oct. 25.
TLU will then close out the regular season and SCAC schedule on Oct. 30 at home against Dallas at 7:30 p.m.
The SCAC Soccer Tournament will feature a six-team single elimination bracket that will take place from Nov. 5-8 at Round Rock Multipurpose Complex in Round Rock, Texas.
For all updates on Texas Lutheran Women's Soccer, follow @tluwsoc on X (Twitter) and Instagram and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on X (Twitter), @tlu_athletics on Instagram and TikTok, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).
