GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Experience and depth at every position will be key for the Tusculum women's lacrosse team as it begins the 2018 season on Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field against Lees-McRae.
After finishing in double figures in victories in each of the program's first two seasons (2015, 2016), the Pioneers were unable to overcome a challenging schedule and a slew of close losses in finishing with a 5-12 overall record and in sixth place in the South Atlantic Conference with a 3-5 league record. Tusculum did qualify for the SAC Championship tournament for the third straight year, but lost 18-17 to Coker in the quarterfinal round.
Head coach Jenna Handshoe welcomes back a veteran squad that includes six seniors and 85 percent of the goal scoring from a year ago (171 of 201 goals). Sixteen of the 19 players to start at least one match last season are back in uniform for the Pioneers, who were picked to finish fifth in the SAC preseason coaches poll.
ATTACK
Preseason second-team All-Conference senior Savannah Elliott (Oshawa, Ontario) is the Tusculum career leader in goals (117) and ranks second with 132 career points. She scored a team-high 44 goals to rank 12th in the conference last season, and finished second on the Pioneers with 50 points. Elliott set the program single-game record with 10 goals against Converse on Feb. 16 of last season, and had eight games of three goals or more.
Junior Rachel Holmes (Norcross, Georgia) ranked second on the Tusculum squad with 32 goals last season and was third with 39 points. She was second on the team with 27 ground balls and fourth with 21 draw controls in 16 games. Holmes is fifth in program history with 51 goals and seventh with 66 points, and is currently tied for sixth with 54 career ground balls.
Junior Sierra Haas (Canton, Georgia) played in 13 matches for the Pioneers last season and contributed 13 goals, including five on free-position shots. Sophomore Eliza Ryan (Matawan, New Jersey) moved from defense to attack late last season and scored four goals in the Pioneers' final six matches while adding eight ground balls over that span. Sophomore Bailey Lowery (Sevierville, Tenn.) contributed six goals and two assists in 15 matches as a freshman.
Junior Meaghan Smith (Leesburg, Virginia) is a transfer from Frederick Community College in Maryland, where she played defense for two seasons and had 35 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers in 31 matches. Freshman Bethany Thomas (Greenville, South Carolina) played goalkeeper at Wade Hampton High School but will move out into the field for the Pioneers.
MIDFIELD
Senior Madison Malone (Maple Grove, Minnesota) led the Pioneers in scoring for the third straight year with 25 goals and 53 assists for 78 points, setting school single-season records for both assists and points. Malone was tied for third in the SAC in points, while her 53 assists set a SAC single-season record. She set a school single-game record with seven assists against Converse (Feb. 16) and had a career-high 10 points against Coker in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals. Malone had six matches with at least five points or more, and had seven or more draw controls four times.
Malone, a two-time first-team All-SAC selection, also led the Pioneers last season in draw controls (73), ground balls (40), caused turnovers (24) and free-position goals (11). She is the program career leader in assists (127), points (193), ground balls (136), draw controls (164), caused turnovers (82) and free position goals (18). Malone has scored at least one point in 45 consecutive games heading into this season, and in 47 of her 48 career matches with the Pioneers.
Sophomore Juliette Cusano (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was named second-team All-SAC last season after delivering 11 goals and six assists for 17 points. Cusano ranked second on the Pioneers with 36 draw controls and had 13 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. She finished the season strong, with seven goals and two assists for nine points in the Pioneers' last two matches.
Senior Erin Sims (Trussville, Ala.) is back after missing most of last season, and is expected to return to the form that saw her score 45 goals and 18 assists for 63 points in her first two seasons with the Pioneers. Sims ranks seventh in program history in goals (47), fourth in assists (23) and sixth in points (70) while also ranking fourth in ground balls (66) and caused turnovers (33) and second in free-position goals with 13.
Sophomore Emily Gleason (Brentwood, Tenn.) was fourth on the team with 24 goals last season and ranked fifth in points with 30. Gleason scored 20 of her 24 goals in the final nine games of the season, including six multi-goal games, and was third on the squad with 24 draw controls and fifth among field players with 17 ground balls.
Another sophomore, Brittany Lowery (Sevierville, Tenn.) appeared in 16 matches last season and registered six goals and three assists for nine points. Lowery had 13 ground balls and eight caused turnovers, and also stepped forward toward season's end with four goals and two assists in the Pioneers' final four contests.
Freshman Megann McKinney (Waxhaw, N.C.) will also be a contributor in the midfield for the Pioneers after earning All-State and All-Conference honors at Marvin Ridge High School, where she scored 145 goals in her career and led the Mavericks with 55 goals as a senior.
DEFENSE
A veteran group is anchored by a pair of four-year starters in seniors Christen Craig and Shelby Gray, along with returning starters Jordan Smith and Claire Stanton.
Craig (Birmingham, Alabama) and Gray (Belews Creek, North Carolina) are two of three Pioneers, along with Elliott, to have played in all 49 games in program history. Craig has made a school-record 47 starts on defense for the Pioneers and has accumulated 52 career ground balls and 29 caused turnovers, ranking her eighth in program history in ground balls and fifth in caused turnovers. Gray is tied for sixth in program history with 54 ground balls and is eighth with 20 career caused turnovers.
Smith (Ball Ground, Georgia), a junior, started 16 matches last season and had three ground balls, six caused turnovers and four draw controls, while Stanton (Fruita, Colorado), also a junior, contributed on offense with three goals and three assists last season while adding 15 ground balls, 11 draw controls and five caused turnovers.
Sophomore Hailey Sanders (Weddington, North Carolina) appeared in 10 games last season and had two ground balls and a caused turnover, while sophomore Linden Perkins (Knoxville, Tennessee) played four matches for the Pioneers during her freshman campaign.
GOALKEEPERS
Senior Brooke Wagner (Snellville, Georgia) started 11 of the Pioneers' 17 matches last season and compiled a 3-7 record with a 16.19 goals against average and a .389 save percentage. Wagner started eight of the Pioneers' final nine matches, and had a season-high 13 saves against Limestone on March 22 along with 12 saves against Pfeiffer on Feb. 25. Wagner is Tusculum's career leader with 275 saves and has been in goal for 18 of the Pioneers' 26 all-time victories.
Junior Kaele Lawless (Odessa, Florida) saw action in nine matches last season, making five saves in 135 minutes, 6 seconds of playing time. Lawless has played in 22 matches in her first two seasons for the Pioneers, making 28 saves and earning two victories while compiling a 13.12 goals against average.
Freshman Kate Pipkin (Annapolis, Maryland) was a four-sport athlete at St. Mary's High School, participating in basketball, volleyball and field hockey in addition to her goalkeeping duties with the lacrosse team.
SCHEDULE
Tusculum plays four of its first five matches at home, including a matchup with 2016 national champion and 2017 national runner-up Florida Southern on Sunday, Feb. 11. The Pioneers will play away from home for nearly a month, including a three-game road swing through Florida over spring break and the opening of conference play on Sunday, March 18 at Lenoir-Rhyne. Tusculum will play an eight-game league schedule, which wraps up on Saturday, April 21 at Catawba followed by the conference and NCAA tournaments.
