The 2015-16 school year is upon us, and with it comes the start of the Fall athletic seasons. Each Monday, we will take a look at what's ahead for the coming week in Illinois Tech Athletics right here on www.illinoistechathletics.com.
The week of August 31 is a good place to start, as all five teams (Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, and Men's and Women's Cross Country) all begin the season this week.
Three of these five teams begin the season on Tuesday, September 1. The first team to technically open the season will be Men's Soccer, as Marc Colwell's team will open up at 4:00 p.m. at Rockford University. Illinois Tech is coming off of a successful 13-5-1 season, which included two wins in the USCAA Tournament. One of the 13 wins came against Rockford as well, as Illinois Tech downed the Regents 3-0 behind goals from current Scarlet Hawks Pablo Solis and Emmanuel Zambrano and from the team's newest Assistant Coach, Brahadon Ramirez.
Over the weekend, Men's Soccer opens up the home schedule with the Illinois Tech Tournament. Marian University, Manchester University, and Trine University will all visit Stuart Field for matches on Saturday and Sunday. The Scarlet Hawks will play at 3:30 p.m. on both days, taking on Manchester on Saturday and Trine on Sunday. Manchester is also a re-match of last season, as the Scarlet Hawks fell 2-1 on the road despite an Oscar Cazales goal. All three teams on the schedule for Illinois Tech this week are Division III opponents.
Three hours later on Tuesday will be the opening of the Women's Soccer season, as they'll also be the first Illnois Tech team to open up at home. At 7:00 p.m. at Stuart Field, the Scarlet Hawks will host Benedictine University in the first game of the Roshane Ellison era. Women's Soccer also hosts a game on Friday night, as Trine University visits Stuart Field at 8:00 p.m. The Scarlet Hawks, who finished 11-6 last season, did not oppose Benedictine or Trine last year.
Women's Volleyball also opens up on Tuesday night, as the Scarlet Hawks will head north to face Lake Forest College at 7:30 p.m. It will be a busy weekend for Katie Zulandt's team, with four matches on the slate in Beloit College's Bc Blast Tournament in Beloit, Wisconsin. Illinois Tech will face Rockford (Friday, 4:30 p.m.), Beloit (Friday, 6:30 p.m.), Alverno College (Saturday, 10:00 a.m.), and UW-Marathon County (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.). Alverno was on last season's schedule, as the 13-16 Scarlet Hawks downed them in straight sets.
On Friday, both the Men's and Women's Cross Country teams will compete at Elmhurst College in the Elmhurst College Earlybird Invitational. The meet will feature many local colleges in the region and traditionally holds as a good benchmark for schools to open up the season. Race time is set for 5:45 p.m. for the Women at Elmhurst's Eldridge Park, with the men's race to follow.
Live streaming for all home events this week can be viewed at http://www.illinoistechathletics.com/boxscast. Live stats for all home events will also be available with links via the page for all home events.