Posted: Jan 15, 2016
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College
Women's lacrosse team will look to build upon its successful 2015
debut season through a competitive 16-game schedule that has been
announced by head coach Jenna Handshoe.
The Pioneers had the most wins among all first-year Division
II programs last season, finishing with a 10-5 record and earning a
South Atlantic Conference tournament berth on the strength of a 5-3
record in league games.
Tusculum has added several new non-conference opponents to go
along with the slate of league foes that is unchanged from a year
ago. Nine of the Pioneers' 16 contests will be played at home,
including a stretch of six out of eight games from mid-March into
mid-April.
"We are excited to start our second season. I feel that the
competition that we have scheduled to play will help prepare us for
our conference schedule," said Handshoe, who was named SAC Coach of
the Year for her effort with the first-year Pioneers in 2015.
The Pioneers open the 2016 season at home on Saturday, Feb. 6
at 3 p.m. against Erskine, followed by another home contest exactly
one week later on Saturday, Feb. 13 against Shorter. The Pioneers
defeated the Hawks 12-7 in their meeting last year in Rome,
Georgia.
Tusculum then heads to the road for contests on Saturday, Feb.
20 at Converse and Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Virginia-Wise. The
Pioneers claimed victories over both opponents last season, beating
the Valkyries 13-8 in the first match in program history and
downing the Cavaliers 17-9 in their season finale.
The Pioneers host a western powerhouse on Monday, Feb. 29 when
Regis University visits as part of their annual trip through the
Southeast. The Rangers finished with a 12-5 record last season.
Another first-time opponent is on the schedule for Wednesday, March
2 as the Pioneers head to Kentucky to take on Cumberlands.
On Saturday, March 5 the Pioneers open up their South Atlantic
Conference schedule at Brevard. Tusculum beat the Tornados 17-9 on
March 28 last season to clinch a berth in the SAC Tournament.
Tusculum begins a three-game homestand on Thursday, March 10
against North Greenville, followed on Saturday, March 12 with a
visit from Newberry. The Pioneers went on the road last season to
beat the Wolves by a score of 15-7. The home stand ends on
Saturday, March 19 against Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears finished second
in the SAC last season and lost to Queens in the tournament
championship match.
The Pioneers continue their South Atlantic Conference schedule
with a trip to Catawba on Saturday, March 26. The teams played a
one-goal thriller in Greeneville last season, with the Pioneers
coming away with a 17-16 victory. Tusculum is back home with
Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, March 30, after yielding a
season-low two goals to the Railsplitters in a 16-2 victory last
year. On Saturday, April 2, the Pioneers face defending SAC
champion Queens on the road in Charlotte.
On Saturday, April 9, the Pioneers will look for revenge at
home against a Coker squad that gave Tusculum two of its five
losses last season. The Cobras won the regular-season matchup 12-8
at home, then beat the Pioneers 12-10 in a SAC tournament
first-round game in Greeneville.
The Pioneers wrap up their regular-season schedule with a home
non-conference game against Lees-McRae on Tuesday, April 19 and a
road trip to Wingate on Saturday, April 23. Last season, the
Pioneers went to Wingate and earned their first conference victory
by a 16-11 score.
"We are looking forward to conference play this year," said
Handshoe. "We set the bar high with last year's finish and are
hoping to improve even further within the conference ranks."
The South Atlantic Conference tournament will begin on
Tuesday, April 26 on campus sites before concluding with the
semifinals and finals in Charlotte on Friday and Saturday, April
29-30.
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