The upcoming spring soccer season has few certainties. The only obvious thing is that it’ll be exceptionally weird. For starters, a normally autumnal sport is taking place in late winter and early spring. The schedule is bizarre:
Of course, the Big Ten has decided to go conference-only for most of its non-revenue sports, as is the case with women’s soccer. Starting an outdoor season in mid-February anywhere in America is pretty bold, but especially so in the Midwest. Because Demirjian Park is the southernmost ground in the western half of the conference, the Illini schedule is front-loaded with home matches.