GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team has a 16-game schedule set for the 2024 season, which begins on Saturday, February 10.
The Pioneers have nine South Atlantic Conference matches and two out-of-state road trips on this year's slate, which includes three NCAA Division II Tournament qualifiers and a home match against defending national champion Lenoir-Rhyne.
Tusculum finished 4-11 last season and returns six starters for third-year head coach Rodney Tapp. Eight of the Pioneers' 16 matches are at home, including a stretch of seven out of nine games through March into April.
The Pioneers will open their season at home against Young Harris on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Mountain Lions were 3-13 last season and 1-4 in the Peach Belt Conference, with an 18-5 loss to Alabama Huntsville in the conference quarterfinals. The Pioneers are 3-0 all-time against the Mountain Lions, including a 14-7 win in their last meeting in the 2022 season opener.
Tusculum makes a two-game road swing to Alabama, starting on Friday, Feb. 16 at Alabama Huntsville. The Chargers went 10-7 last season and were 2-3 in the Peach Belt Conference, with a 12-11 loss to Lander in the league semifinals. UAH beat Tusculum 15-7 in Greeneville last season, but the Pioneers still lead the all-time series by a 3-2 margin.
The Pioneers will visit Montevallo for their first-ever meeting with the Falcons on Sunday, Feb. 18. Montevallo went 11-6 last season and 3-2 in the Peach Belt Conference, with an 15-13 loss to Flagler in the conference semifinals.
Tusculum opens its SAC schedule at Catawba on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Indians tied for sixth in the conference at 3-6 and had a 3-10 overall record, including a 10-9 win over the Pioneers that tied the all-time series at four wins apiece.
The Pioneers open March by wrapping up their stretch of four straight road games at Newberry on Saturday, March 2. The Wolves were 11-5 last season and tied for third place in the SAC at 6-3, then lost to Lenoir-Rhyne 17-8 in the conference semifinals. Newberry bet Tusculum 22-14 last April to take a 4-2 lead in the all-time series.
A run of four straight home matches for Tusculum begins on Tuesday, March 5 against Lander. The Bearcats won the Peach Belt Conference championship by going 5-0 in league play, then beating Flagler 14-11 in the tournament finals to end the year at 13-4. The Bearcats beat the Pioneers 25-6 last season in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Tusculum will face Thomas More for the first time on Saturday, March 9. The Saints, who are reclassifying from NAIA to Division II, went 1-12 last season.
The Pioneers host defending SAC tournament champion Limestone on Wednesday, March 13. The Saints tied for third in the SAC in the regular season at 6-3, then beat Lenoir-Rhyne 14-8 in the championship match. Limestone lost 18-11 to Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA semifinals to end the year at 16-5. The Saints beat the Pioneers 19-7 last season to stretch their lead in the series to 8-0.
Tusculum wraps up its homestand on Saturday, March 16 against Wingate. The Bulldogs won the SAC regular-season championship with a 9-0 record, but lost 22-15 to Limestone in the conference semifinals. In the NCAA Tournament, Wingate fell 11-10 to Indianapolis in the first round to end with a 12-3 record. The Bulldogs beat the Pioneers 20-8 last season for their ninth win in as many all-time meetings.
The Pioneers head back to the road to face Anderson on Tuesday, March 19. The Trojans tied for third in the SAC at 6-3 and lost 20-10 to Limestone in the conference quarterfinals to end the year at 12-6 overall. The Trojans beat the Pioneers 19-9 last season and lead the all-time series 2-1.
Tusculum will host Mars Hill on Saturday, March 23 as the Lions are coming off a 4-12 season and a ninth-place finish in the SAC at 1-8. The Lions beat the Pioneers 15-13 in last year's season finale, but Tusculum still leads the all-time series by a 6-3 margin.
The rivalry between the Pioneers and Lincoln Memorial renews on Wednesday, March 27 at LMU. The Railsplitters grabbed the sixth and final SAC tournament berth with a 3-6 league record, then lost 20-9 to Newberry to end the season with a 6-9 record. The Railsplitters beat the Pioneers 17-10 last seaosn to even the all-time series at four wins apiece.
Tusculum hosts Coker on Saturday, March 30 for Senior Day. The Cobras were among the teams tied for sixth in the SAC at 3-6 last season, finishing with a 7-8 overall record. The Cobras beat the Pioneers in a defensive battle last year by a 7-5 score, but Tusculum still has a 6-5 edge all-time.
Defending national champion Lenoir-Rhyne visits Pioneer Field for the final home game of the year on Saturday, April 6. The Bears were 8-1 in conference play and lost 14-8 to Limestone in the SAC finals, but rolled to the national title with a 20-5 win over Mercyhurst in the championship match to end the year at 18-3. The Bears beat the Pioneers 21-4 at home last season and have won all 11 meetings.
Tusculum will close the regular season with a two-game trip to Colorado in early April. The Pioneers visit Colorado State Pueblo on Tuesday, April 9 to face a Thunderwolves team that the Pioneers beat 9-7 at home last season. CSU Pueblo ended the year 1-13 overall and 1-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Pioneers will take on Adams State for the first time on Thursday, April 11. The Grizzlies were 1-5 in the RMAC last season and finished at 2-8 overall.
The top six teams qualify for the SAC Championship tournament, which begins on campus sites on Saturday, April 20. The semifinals are hosted by the top two seeds on Wednesday, April 24, followed by the championship match on Sunday, April 28 at the Sportsplex at Matthews.
