GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team will host the University of Alabama Huntsville on Saturday at noon at Pioneer Field in its final tuneup before the start of the Pioneers' South Atlantic Conference schedule.
The Pioneers (2-2) lost their home opener to Maryville (Missouri) last Monday by a score of 8-4, but bounced back on Sunday for a 19-5 win over Lees-McRae. Following Saturday's game with UAH, the Pioneers' next game will be on Saturday, March 7 at Newberry in the SAC opener for both teams.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
On Monday, the Pioneers were held to one goal through three quarters by the Saints before breaking through with three goals in the final period. Liam Macdonald and Luke Doehring each had a goal and an assist for the Pioneers, while Ross Geiger finished with nine saves in goal.
Tusculum tied school single-game records with seven man-up goals and 10 second-quarter goals as the Pioneers routed Lees-McRae 19-5 on Sunday. Kale Lawrence scored six goals, all in the second quarter, and contributed three of the Pioneers' seven man-up goals. Jordan Daniel had two goals and two assists and Macdonald had four assists as the Pioneers outshot the Bobcats by a 52-25 margin.
LOOKING AHEAD
Alabama Huntsville (1-2) opened the year with a 13-7 conference win over Lander on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Chargers then lost at home to Saint Leo (10-8) and 13th-ranked Rockhurst (17-10) as the squad makes its first road trip of the season.
Luke LeVette is the top scorer for the Chargers with 10 goals and 12 points through three games. Ten different players have scored for UAH, which is 5-for-20 with the man advantage. The Chargers have struggled at the faceoff dot, winning just 22 draws while losing 52. Josh Campbell leads the Alabama Huntsville defense with nine caused turnovers and seven ground balls, while Zak Welsh has started all three matches in goal and has 43 saves with a .566 save percentage.
The Pioneers have beaten the Chargers each of the last two seasons, winning 12-6 in a neutral-site game in Nashville in 2018 and earning a 13-5 road win last year.
LEADER BOARD
Through four games, Daniel and Macdonald share the team lead in points at 10, with Daniel contributing four goals and six assists and Macdonald two goals and eight assists. Lawrence leads the Pioneers with eight goals and shares the lead in Division II with four man-up goals, while AJ Hems has seven goals through four matches for the Pioneers.
Leading the Pioneers in ground balls with 14 is faceoff specialist Andy Michalski with 14, who has won 36-for-65 on faceoffs for a .554 percentage that is 31st in Division II. Braden Elam has added 12 ground balls, with 11 apiece for Daniel and Lorenz Brown, and Quinn McKitrick leads Tusculum with seven caused turnovers. In goal, Ross Geiger has started all four matches and has a 10.00 goals against average with 26 saves.
Tusculum is 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) with the man advantage to lead the SAC and rank sixth in Division II. The Pioneers have committed the fewest turnovers per game in the conference (17.25) and are 12th nationally and second in the league in clear percentage (88.2 percent).
FOLLOW THE GAMES
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.