GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- With the calendar turning to April, the Tusculum University women's lacrosse team will attempt to complete what remains of its 2021 schedule as the Pioneers prepare for three matches in a span of five days.
Having endured a second idle period of the season, the Pioneers (1-1, 0-1 South Atlantic Conference) are more than eager to tackle an April slate that includes five games in a two-week period, with four on the road. That run begins Saturday with a trip to Coker, followed by a visit to Lenoir-Rhyne on Monday, April 5 and a home match with Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, April 7.
A scheduled home game against Catawba on Sunday, April 11 was cancelled by Catawba due to its entry into the SAC Return to Play protocol. Tusculum has cancelled four other matches this season (at Lee, at Young Harris, vs. Queens and at Limestone) with hopes that a home contest vs. UVA Wise that was slated for March 24 can be rescheduled.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
With just two games in the books, the Pioneers have lost ground in the SAC statistical leaders to their conference opponents. Tusculum is led on offense by graduate midfielder Juliette Cusano, who has 12 goals in two matches along with a team-high 15 draw controls. Cusano has scored at least one goal in 41 straight games and is 14 draw controls shy of tying the program career record of 222 set by Madison Malone.
Sophomore attack Tia Tuininga has seven goals and an assist for eight points, and sophomore midfielder Kylie Marek has four goals and an assist for five points. Eight different players have scored at least one goal this season, including the first career goal for freshman attack Natalie Dagley and the first goal as a Pioneer for senior midfielder Briana Minter.
Graduate midfielder Eliza Ryan leads Tusculum with eight ground balls and eight caused turnovers through two games, with five ground balls apiece for Cusano and Tuininga. Sophomore defender Leighann Yudin is second on the team with four caused turnovers and senior defender Bethany Thomas has caused three turnovers.
Three different goalkeepers have seen time for the Pioneers in the first two games, with Kate Pipkin making 13 saves and compiling a 9.72 goals against average in nearly 99 minutes of playing time.
In rate stats, Tusculum is fourth in the SAC in goals per game at 15.0 and third in draw controls per game at 16.5. The Pioneers' 11.00 goals against average in two games is fourth-best in the conference.
SCOUTING THE COBRAS
Coker brought a five-game losing streak into action this week, since their lone victory by a 15-14 score at St. Andrews on Feb. 21. Coker was held to a total of one goal in losses at Wingate on March 13 (22-0) and at Queens (March 24), then lost in overtime to Mars Hill 15-14 on Sunday afternoon.
Junior attack Hannah Shuren leads the Cobras with 20 goals (eighth in the SAC) and 28 points (10th in the SAC). She scored five goals apiece in the St. Andrews and Mars Hill matches, finishing with eight points against St. Andrews and seven against Mars Hill. Junior attack Gabby Jessup has collected 10 goals and six assists for 16 points, and senior midfielder Alyssa Baronella-O'Toole has 13 goals.
Junior midfielder Amariah Lawson is 10th in the conference in both draw controls (23) and ground balls (18). Baronella-O'Toole and junior midfielder Makenzie Stroup each have 18 draw controls, while senior midfielder Alexis Zegan has 12 draw controls and 16 ground balls. The Cobras have used two goalkeepers this season, with Abby Kellner making 57 saves in five appearances and Olivia Fladung tallying 33 saves on 66 shots for a 50 percent save percentage.
Tusculum is 2-5 all-time against Coker, with wins in 2016 and 2018 at home. The Cobras are 3-0 all-time at home against the Pioneers.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Lenoir-Rhyne enters the week with a 3-4 overall record and a 2-2 record in SAC competition, with a non-conference game at Young Harris on Saturday ahead of next Monday's matchup with the Pioneers. The game between the Bears and Pioneers was originally scheduled for March 13 but was postponed from that date due to Tusculum entering the SAC Return to Play protocol.
The Bears feature a balanced attack, with seven players with between seven and 15 goals led by sophomore Suzy Smith who has 15 goals and six assists for 21 points. Freshman Kaitlyn Cavanaugh leads the Bears with 24 points on 13 goals and 11 assists, and senior Cathleen Gaffney also has 24 points on nine goals and a team-high 15 assists.
Senior defender Cassie Lafler is among the team leaders in ground balls (16), draw controls (13) and caused turnovers (10), with junior defender Liz Black leading the Bears with 11 caused turnovers and freshman Ellie Campbell pacing the team with 17 draw controls in just four matches. Junior Isabelle Dunnam lead the team with 18 ground balls and has 10 caused turnovers.
Junior Teanna Sieben has played all seven games in goal for Lenoir-Rhyne and has a 15.57 goals against average and 72 saves, with a save percentage of .407.
Lenoir-Rhyne owns a 5-0 all-time record against Tusculum, winning 18-7 in their last meeting on March 16, 2019.
SCOUTING THE RAILSPLITTERS
After a delayed start to the season, the Railsplitters earned wins over Catawba (14-10) and Mars Hill (20-15). Since then, Lincoln Memorial has dropped three in a row to UVA Wise (16-6), Limestone (14-4) and Wingate (14-3) to sit at 2-3 overall and 2-3 in the SAC. LMU plays at Queens on Saturday ahead of next Wednesday's visit to Pioneer Field.
Sophomore attack Ali Van der Ziel is the top scorer for the Railsplitters with 14 goals and seven assists for 21 points in five matches. Van der Ziel has scored in each match for the Railsplitters, including six goals and four assists against Mars Hill.
Junior attack Kelly Csenar has eight goals and two assists, and junior midfielder Avery Van der Ziel has collected six goals and an assist. As a team, Lincoln Memorial is ninth in the conference at 9.40 goals per game.
LMU is last in the conference in draw controls at 9.60 per game, led by Avery Van der Ziel with 12 and Csenar with 10. Avery Van der Ziel also leads the Railsplitters with 14 ground balls and shares the team lead in caused turnovers with junior defender Mathilda Gavin with seven. Sophomore Keegan Gillman has made 47 saves and compiled a 14.94 goals against average for the Railsplitters.
The Pioneers are 4-1 all-time against the Railsplitters, winning the first four meetings before a 13-8 home loss on April 10, 2019.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Capacity of Pioneer Field is 200 for home women's lacrosse matches. Gates will open one hour before game time, and attendance is limited to family members (2 per player) of Tusculum student-athletes only. All family members must be on the pass list prior to game day. No visiting team fans or spectators will be admitted.
A limited number of Pioneer Club tickets will be available, and Tusculum students will be admitted as long as capacity limits are not exceeded. No concessions will be available. All fans in attendance must observe social distancing and are required to wear face coverings at all times.
Live video and live stats will be available for all Tusculum home games, with links posted at TusculumPioneers.com.
