SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- The Tusculum College women's lacrosse team defeated Converse College 13-8 in the Pioneers' inaugural game that opened the 2015 campaign, the program's first. Senior attacker Kelsey Crow and junior midfielder Cheyenne Bray led TC (1-0) with four points each on three goals and one assist.

Freshman Savannah Elliot also tallied a trio of goals, while freshman midfielder Erin Sims, sophomore midfielder Calyn Kelly, graduate midfielder Katie Chadwick, and sophomore midfielder Kelli McCalla all tallied their first career goal. Freshman defender Rachel Del Duca dished out a pair of assists and freshman midfielder Madison Malone registered one.

Converse (0-1) was led by Laura Starkes who had three goals, while Chelsea Worrell and Elizabeth Gabriele had had two goals apiece. Aubrie Lauderdale had two points for the day on a goal and an assist.

Tusculum junior Kaitlin Winnie and freshman Brooke Wagner each spent time in the cage and each player made five saves apiece. Alex Gurecki and Sandra Ponce split time in the Valkryies' net and Gurecki surrendered 12 goals while making 12 saves, while Ponce gave up one score.

After Worell opened the scoring with a goal in the first minute, Bray answered with the first goal in Pioneer history four minutes later to knot the score at 1-1. Elliot scored her first collegiate goal in the eighth minute to give TC its first lead of the game at 2-1, but Converse answered right back with a goal from Starkes that tied the game at 2-2 with 11:12 to play in the first half.

The Pioneers responded by scoring four-straight goals in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 6-2 advantage into the halftime locker room. Elliot scored her second goal during that span, while Sims, Chadwick, and Crow netted goals to give TC the four-goal advantage.

Both teams traded goals for the first ten minutes of the second half, and TC held an 8-5 lead with 21:47 remaining in the game. Jones opened the second-half scoring two and a half minutes in, before Bray answered with her second goal of the game. Starkes recorded her second goal only to have Crow get her second tally two minutes later. Starkes completed her hat trick to close out the scoring barrage.

TC took a 10-5 lead with back-to-back goals by McCalla and Bray with 16:53 remaining. Worrell stopped the bleeding with a free-position goal two minutes later, but the Pioneers answered with two more unanswered goals by Crow and Kelly to take their largest lead of the game at 12-6 with 11:53 to go in the game.

Lauderdale scored for Converse to cut the deficit to 12-7, but Elliot completed her hat trick with a goal at the 6:11 mark of the second half that made the score 13-7. Jones tallied the final goal of the game with five seconds remaining, but Tusculum took home the first victory in program history.

TC held a narrow 29-28 shot advantage but the Valkryies picked up 22 ground balls compared to 20 by the Pioneers. Tusculum committed 19 turnovers while Converse had 15.

Tusculum's home opener is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. against Saint Andrews University.

- TC -