After cancelling sports back in the spring of 2020, Goshen College has done what many thought wouldn’t be done: host a fall sports season amidst a global pandemic.

The Goshen College athletic department, along with coaches and student athletes, have followed all the guidelines and taken the necessary precautions to get fall sports underway on time. 

Kicking off the fall sports season on Saturday, Sept. 5, will be a road double header for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. First, the teams will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to play the University of Saint Francis beginning at 9:30 a.m. 

Following their match in Fort Wayne, the teams will then drive 25 miles south to Huntington, Indiana, for another match with the Foresters of Huntington University. 

Meanwhile, the men’s tennis team is facing a numbers problem. This season, they will dress just five players, coming off a season in which they dressed 10 players and finished with a 10-6 record, making the conference semifinals. 

On the women’s tennis side, they look to build upon a tough 2019 season in which they finished 1-14. One state over, on that same date, the men’s soccer team will make their debut. They open their season with a scrimmage against Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. 

The men’s soccer team looks to improve upon their 9th place finish in the Crossroads League one season ago. They officially open their season from the John Ingold Athletic Complex on Wednesday, Sept. 9. 

As for the women’s soccer team, they have to wait a little longer before they can return to play. The first time they anticipate taking the field this year will be at Trine University on Sept. 12.  

The women’s soccer team comes off of an impressive season in which they made it to the postseason, finishing as the seventh seed. The Maple Leafs were able to grab a conference record of 2-6-1. 

The men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to open their 2020 campaign in Marian, Indiana on Friday, Sept. 11. Each team will compete in the IWU Twilight Classic beginning at 6 p.m. 

The anticipation for fall sports did not come without a few changes to the plan.

The women’s volleyball team had to postpone their originally scheduled season opener against Marian University on Saturday, Sept. 5. 

The team will officially begin their season on Wednesday, Sept. 9 against Bethel University in the U.S. Highway 20 Cup, as they look to improve on their 2019 campaign after a disappointing 8-27 season, picking up just two conference wins. 

“As you know it has been a crazy year, we have had lots of meetings with the Crossroads League athletic directors and training staffs from around the country.” said Erica Albertin, interim athletic director. “By making the decisions to reduce the seasons, we had to adjust to figure out what that looked like for us.”

For all of the latest news on Goshen College Athletics, go online to goleafs.net.