GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Despite finishing the 2015 season with an identical 5-8 overall record as the program's inaugural season of 2014, there were many signs of progress for the Tusculum College men's lacrosse team.

The Pioneers earned their first two victories over South Atlantic Conference opponents, and lost three other league contests by a combined total of four goals, including an overtime setback to conference co-champion Coker. Tusculum also had two players recognized on the SAC postseason All-Conference team.

With plenty of offensive firepower returning for the 2016 season, including six of the top eight goal scorers from a year ago, head coach and director of lacrosse Richard Carrington enters his third season hopeful that his team will rise to the challenge against a schedule that begins this Saturday at noon with a visit from two-time defending NCAA Division II champion Limestone.

OFFENSE
Sophomore Chris Ryan led the Pioneers with 26 goals last season and ranked second on the team with 29 points. The native of Old Bridge, New Jersey also had 12 ground balls and put 46 of his 60 shots on goal. Sophomore Nate Wade was the Pioneers' leading point scorer last season with 30 points on the strength of 23 goals and seven assists, earning him second-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors. The Victoria, British Columbia product had a team-high seven man-up goals and also contributed five caused turnovers. Sophomore Andrew Kransberger was tied for third on the team with 16 goals and had a team-best 10 assists for 26 points. Kransberger (Grand Rapids, Mich.) collected 18 ground balls and scored his 16 goals on 27 shots on goal.

Junior Ben Boyd (Bel Air, Md.) has been among the team's top scorers in each of his first two seasons, and finished last year with 16 goals and 25 points while coming up with 26 ground balls. Sophomore Dallas Wade (Victoria, B.C.) added nine goals and eight assists for 17 points and collected 16 ground balls, while junior Ross Parsons (Coquitlam, B.C.) netted four goals and had seven assists for 11 points last season, while picking up seven ground balls. Junior Timothy Drumtra (Fort Washington, Md.) also brings experience to the offense after playing in eight games a year ago, registering one goal while adding three ground balls and a caused turnover.

Sophomore Tyler Klarner (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) is a transfer from UMass-Amherst and was ranked in the top 10 among Canadian players in his class by Inside Lacrosse, while 6-5 freshman Keegan Bell (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) is a three-time provincial champion and helped Team BC capture a national field championship. Another newcomer who should make an impact is freshman Cameron Rogers (Windsor, Ont.), a transfer from Post University who brings box lacrosse experience to the outdoor game.

Other newcomers who are expected to have an impact on the offense are freshmen Charles Mills (Hamburg, N.J.), Caleb Mayhew (Fort Pierce, Fla.) and Jason Willis (Chalfont, Pa.). Mills was named second-team All-West New Jersey as a senior, while Mayhew is a versatile player who will push for time at attack and in the midfield. Willis will bring speed and a classic two-way game to the midfield, while looking to impact the transition game.

DEFENSE
Senior Mitch Chapman is a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection, and is coming off a season that saw him finish with five goals and nine assists for 14 points. All five of Chapman's goals came with the extra man, and the native of Oshawa, Ontario also was among the team leaders with 25 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. Fellow senior Jake Smith (Canandiagua, N.Y.) has been a standout on defense for the Pioneers, finishing with 48 ground balls and a team-high 16 caused turnovers last year. Both Chapman and Smith are three-year captains for the Pioneers, and will be counted on to defend the top scorers on the opposition.

Junior Alexander Kleinberg (Bel Air, Md.) has developed into one of the top faceoff men in the SAC, and is coming off a 2015 season in which he won 59.1 percent at the dot (104-for-176), including a 22-for-27 performance against North Greenville and a 16-for-20 effort against Brevard. Kleinberg had a team-high 60 ground balls and also contributed a goal and an assist on offense for the Pioneers.

Increased roles are expected for sophomores Eric Varlas (Waldorf, Md.) and Ethan Merrow (Hoschton, Ga.) after both saw limited action in their freshman seasons. Merrow appeared in five contests and had four ground balls and a caused turnovers, while Varlas tallied five ground balls and two caused turnovers in four games. Newcomers James Spears V (Knoxville, Tenn.), Anthony Gatewood (St. Louis, Mo.) and Sean Kidder (Livonia, N.Y.) will contend for playing time as well. Spears is a true freshman, while Kidder and Gatewood are transfers from Genesee Community College after leading the Cougars to a 12-5 record last season.

GOALKEEPER
Junior Kevin Haggerty played every second in goal for the Pioneers last season, and compiled a .509 save percentage and a 10.58 goals against average, ranking him fifth in the league in save percentage and sixth in goals against. The native of Suffern, New York allowed 10 goals or less in seven of the Pioneers' 13 games, including six of the last seven. He also had at least eight saves in every game, reaching double figures a total of nine times.

SCHEDULE
After opening the season with Limestone at Pioneer Field, the Pioneers will be on the road for their next five contests with trips to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio and Georgia on the itinerary. The Pioneers play their first conference game at Brevard on March 5, and host Lenoir-Rhyne for their first league contest at home on March 19.

The last of five regular-season home matches is slated for April 13 against Mars Hill, and the regular-season finale will be played April 23 at Wingate. The SAC Tournament will open April 26 at campus sites, and will conclude in Charlotte with the semifinals on April 28 and the finals on April 30.

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