GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Off to the best start in program history, the Tusculum University men's lacrosse team plays its home opener on Saturday, March 6 as Newberry College visits Pioneer Field for a 3 p.m. match.
The Pioneers (4-0, 1-0 South Atlantic Conference) opened the season with four straight wins for the first time in program history, with all of the wins coming on the road. Last week, the Pioneers defeated Mars Hill (9-7) in their SAC opener on Wednesday and followed with a 17-6 win at Lees-McRae on Saturday.
The four road wins for the Pioneers ties the program single-season record set in 2016 and equaled in both 2017 and 2019. The four-game winning streak for Tusculum is one shy of tying the record of five victories in a row which was set twice during the 2017 season and matched in 2019.
The early-season success has not gone unnoticed, as the Pioneers are creeping up the list of teams also receiving votes in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II Top 20 Coaches Poll. Newberry is also receiving votes in the USILA poll, one of seven SAC teams either ranked or receiving votes this week.
LAST WEEK
Tusculum opened the week with a 9-7 win at Mars Hill in their conference opener on Wednesday night. Junior attack Nate Raymond scored two goals early in the fourth quarter to snap a 6-6 tie, and sophomore midfielder Tristan Kirkham finished with three goals and an assist. Junior Ross Geiger made 10 saves in goal for the Pioneers, who overcome three one-goal deficits to come away with the victory.
On Saturday, the Pioneers received goals from 11 different players and outscored Lees-McRae 8-1 in the second half of a 17-6 victory. Kirkham scored three goals for the second straight match, while senior attack Braden Elam had three assists in the third quarter as the Pioneers outscored the Bobcats 5-0 in the frame. Junior Andy Michalski dominated on faceoffs against Lees-McRae, winning 16 out of 18 and also contributing with a goal and an assist.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Elam leads the Pioneers with 14 points on seven goals and seven assists, ranking him fourth in the SAC in assists and seventh in points. Kirkham's nine goals are fifth-best in the conference and he is 11th in points with 10. Junior attack Kale Lawrence and Raymond have also scored seven goals for the Pioneers, with senior midfielder Lorenz Brown at six goals along with three assists. A total of 13 different players have registered at least one goal for the Pioneers through four matches, while five different players have posted a man-up goal.
On defense, senior defender Connor Coleman leads the conference with nine caused turnovers and has 12 ground balls, with five caused turnovers and 10 ground balls from senior midfielder Tanner Deck along with four caused turnovers and five ground balls by senior defender Dawson Lovejoy. Tusculum ranks second in the SAC with 76 ground balls and is second in the conference with 32 caused turnovers.
The Pioneers continue to lead Division II in faceoff percentage, winning 77.3 percent (68-for-88). Individually, Michalski and junior Nathan Fraser are ranked one and two in winning percentage, with Michalski at 81.4 percent (35-for-43) and Fraser at 77.8 percent (28-for-36). Tusculum is second in the SAC and sixth in Division II in scoring defense (6.0 goals per game) and seventh in the country in scoring margin (+7.25 per game), while the Pioneers' man-up offense is sixth in the country with a 41.2 percent success rate (7-for-17).
Geiger ranks second in the SAC and seventh in Division II in goals against average at 6.19. Geiger has made 32 saves to rank fifth in the conference, and his .582 save percentage places him third in the SAC and 13th nationally. Geiger has not allowed more than seven goals in any game this season.
SCOUTING THE WOLVES
Newberry (1-2, 0-1 SAC) comes into play this week after a pair of close home losses to nationally-ranked teams last week. The Wolves fell 10-9 at home last Tuesday to ninth-ranked Mount Olive, then dropped their conference opener on Saturday to 15th-ranked Queens by a score of 12-10. Newberry's lone win came in its season opener, a 15-7 win at Lees-McRae on Feb. 17.
Senior midfielder Kyle Dunklee and freshman attack Baker Westmoreland share the team lead with six goals apiece, with Dunklee adding five assists for 11 points to go along with a team-high 18 ground balls. Sophomore attack Scott Reed has four goals and six assists for 10 points, with four goals each for senior midfielder Justin Messersmith and freshman midfielder Bucky Bukta.
The Wolves lead the SAC in man-down defense, killing off 13 of 15 opportunities for an 86.7 percent success rate that is sixth-best in Division II. Newberry is sixth in the conference in scoring offense at 11.33 goals per game and in scoring defense at 9.67 goals allowed per match.
Sophomore Garrison Story has appeared in all three matches for the Wolves, making two starts, and has a 10.46 goals against average to go with a .433 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
The Pioneers are 2-1 all-time against the Wolves, with the road team winning all three previous meetings. Last season, Tusculum's lone conference game came against Newberry and resulted in an 11-10 Pioneer win on March 7, 2020 at Newberry.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Capacity at Pioneer Field is 200 spectators. Gates will open one hour before start time, and attendance is limited to two family members per Tusculum student-athlete. Tusculum students will be admitted as along as capacity is not exceeded. Visiting fans and general spectators will not be permitted to enter. A limited number of Pioneer Club members may attend, but must RSVP for each contest. Live stats and video will be provided, and links are available at TusculumPioneers.com.
