GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team will embark on a 15-game regular season starting Saturday, Feb. 8 at Barton, head coach Richard Carrington has announced.
The Pioneers qualified for the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament with a double-overtime victory over Catawba in the regular-season finale, finishing the year with a 7-7 overall record and in sixth place in the SAC with a 3-5 record. Tusculum has qualified for the conference tournament in three of the last four years under Carrington, who begins his seventh season as the only coach in program history.
Tusculum's 15 regular-season games are the most in program history, and will feature eight matches against SAC rivals to go along with seven non-conference contests. Four of the Pioneers' non-league matches are against teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, with the other three against members of Conference Carolinas.
The Pioneers will visit Barton to begin the 2020 season on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Bulldogs went 5-12 overall in their debut season in 2019, finishing 3-4 in Conference Carolinas and losing 19-5 to North Greenville in a first-round tournament match. Tusculum defeated Barton 22-12 on March 9 at Pioneer Field as part of the Bulldogs' first year.
Tusculum will then visit Limestone on Friday, Feb. 14. The Saints finished as NCAA Division II runner-up to Merrimack last season after winning their first 20 games, including the Conference Carolinas regular-season and tournament championships. Limestone beat Tusculum 22-2 in the season opener last year and is 4-0 all-time against the Pioneers.
The home opener for the Pioneers will be on Monday, Feb. 17 against Maryville (Missouri). The Saints were 9-6 overall last season and 3-3 in the GLVC, losing to Rockhurst 18-13 in the semifinals. The Feb. 17 meeting will be the first-ever matchup between the Pioneers and Saints.
A familiar non-conference opponent follows as Tusculum heads to Lees-McRae on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Bobcats went 4-10 overall last year and were 0-7 in Conference Carolinas, which includes a 23-8 loss to the Pioneers on Feb. 9. Tusculum has won both all-time meetings with Lees-McRae.
Tusculum plays its final game before the start of conference play on Saturday, Feb. 29 against visiting Alabama Huntsville. The Chargers, also a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, were 2-4 in the league and 4-8 overall last season. The Pioneers beat the Chargers 13-5 last February for their second win in as many years against UAH.
The Pioneers' first conference match is Saturday, March 7 at Newberry. The Wolves were 10-6 last season and finished 4-4 in the league, earning fifth place before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Lenoir-Rhyne by a 15-6 score. Newberry beat Tusculum 16-13 at Pioneer Field last March, giving both teams a win on the other's field in the two all-time meetings.
Tusculum faces off with another first-time opponent on Tuesday, March 10 when Quincy visits Pioneer Field as part of a two-game trip from Illinois to East Tennessee. The Hawks are playing their debut season and will be a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
A pair of SAC road games await the Pioneers following the Quincy match, starting on Saturday. March 14 at Queens. The Royals tied for second place in the SAC at 6-2 and went 13-5 overall last season, including a pair of wins over the Pioneers by identical 16-8 scores -- the first in the regular season at Pioneer Field and the second in the SAC quarterfinal round. Queens lost 11-9 to Wingate in the conference championship match, but earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament where the Royals dropped a 16-15 heartbreaker in overtime to Indianapolis. Queens is 6-1 all-time against Tusculum, winning the last three matches in the series.
The Pioneers will then travel to Lincoln Memorial for a matchup with the Railsplitters on Wednesday, March 18. The teams have traditionally played close, exciting contests with three of the six all-time meetings decided by one goal. Last year, LMU got the best of Tusculum in Greeneville by a score of 19-14, but failed to qualify for the SAC Championship tournament with a final record of 4-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play. Last year's result leveled the all-time series at three wins apiece.
Tusculum will finish the regular season with five of its final six matches at home, starting on Saturday, March 21 against Mars Hill. The Lions have lost four straight meetings with the Pioneers, including a 15-13 home loss last March that was part of a winless league schedule for Mars Hill. The Lions were 3-12 overall last season and hove dropped four of the six all-time meetings with the Pioneers.
On Saturday, March 28 the Pioneers will be home to face Coker. The Cobras went 5-9 last season and finished at 2-6 in the SAC to miss out on the conference tournament. The Pioneers beat the Cobras 14-12 on the road last April and are now 3-4 all-time against Coker, including 0-3 at Pioneer Field but 3-1 on the road.
Tusculum's homestand closes on Saturday, April 4 against Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears went 6-2 in conference play and finished 8-8 overall after an 0-5 start, beating Newberry 15-6 in the SAC quarterfinals before dropping a 16-8 decision to Wingate in the semifinal round. Lenoir-Rhyne beat Tusculum 21-3 at home last March and is 7-0 all-time against the Pioneers.
The final road game of the regular season is Saturday, April 11 at Catawba. Tusculum denied the Indians the outright SAC regular-season championship with an epic 11-10 double-overtime win in the regular-season finale last April 20 on a neutral field at Brevard. Catawba, which was 6-2 in the conference, lost to Queens 14-2 in the semifinals to end the year at 9-6. The Pioneers are 4-2 all-time against the Indians, but 1-2 on the road.
Tusculum will open the final week of the regular season with a non-conference home game against Shorter on Wednesday, April 15. The Hawks struggled to an 0-12 overall record and an 0-5 record in the GLVC last season, which included a 20-6 loss to the Pioneers on Feb. 23. Tusculum has scored at least 20 goals in all three of their meetings with Shorter, all Pioneer wins.
The regular season will close on Saturday, April 18 at Pioneer Field against Wingate. The Bulldogs claimed the SAC regular-season championship with a 7-1 record, then beat Lenoir-Rhyne and Queens for the tournament titles. Wingate lost to Tampa 13-6 in their NCAA Tournament opener to end the year with a record of 13-4. The Bulldogs beat the Pioneers 12-5 last year for their seventh win without a loss all-time against Tusculum.
The top six teams in the SAC regular-season standings will participate in the championship tournament, beginning with first-round matches on campus sites on Tuesday, April 21. Lenoir-Rhyne will host the semifinals on Friday, April 24 and the championship match on Sunday, April 26.
