MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - Head men's soccer coach Richard Vardy has released the defending SAA Tournament Champions 2026 schedule as the Vikings look to build off last year's tournament success.

After finishing fourth in the regular season standings the Vikings surprised everyone last season by winning the SAA Tournament Championship with two shocking upsets over No. 5 Trinity and the hosts Southwestern. The Vikings will look to improve upon that success this year with a strong crop of newcomers to join All-SAA Second Team goalkeeper Cooper Cherry.

The 2026 schedule begins with two scrimmages against Bryan College on August 21 and Shorter University on August 26 before the team opens up with their first official game on September 1 at Piedmont. The Vikings will then continue their start to the regular season on the road with two tough matchups against Randolph Macon on September 6 and Roanoke on September 7 in Virginia. The Vikings then return home for their home opener against Berea College on Friday, September 11 at 7:00 PM.

The Vikings will play one neutral game in Atlanta against Montclair State on September 13 before returning home to take on Covenant on September 17. The Vikings then close out their nonconference schedule against familiar Georgia opponents on September 19 at LaGrange and September 26 at Emory.
 
From there they kick off their SAA Conference Schedule at home against Oglethorpe on Wednesday, September 30 at 7:30 PM and follow that with another home game against Centre on October 2nd. The Vikings then hit the road for four straight games as they head to Memphis to take on Rhodes on October 9 and Millsaps on October 11 in Jackson. The team then hits the road again the following weekend as they will fly to Texas to take on Trinity on October 16 followed by Southwestern on October 18.
 
The Vikings then return home to wrap up conference play against Sewanee on October 30 followed by SAA newcomers Maryville on Sunday, November 1 at 12:00 PM. The SAA Championships this year will take place from November 4-8 at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA.