GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team will play a 16-game schedule for the 2025 season, head coach Mike Brisbin has announced.
The Pioneers will play 10 South Atlantic Conference matches and six non-conference tilts during the 2025 season. Seven of the Pioneers' 16 matches will be at Pioneer Field, including non-league matches with Virginia State on Feb. 15 and Thomas More on Feb. 22. Tusculum has played 11 contests against nationally-ranked opponents over the past two seasons.
Brisbin begins his first full season on the Tusculum sidelines after taking over four games into the 2024 campaign. The Pioneers have rebuilt the roster during the offseason, with just two starters back from last year's squad and 14 freshmen among the 30 players on the preseason roster.
The Pioneers travel to face Young Harris in the season opener on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Mountain Lions beat the Pioneers 14-13 in last year's opener and went on to finish fifth in Conference Carolinas with a 3-4 record. Young Harris lost 14-3 to Barton in the conference tournament and ended the year with a 6-9 record. Tusculum is 3-1 all-time against Young Harris, with wins in 2014, 2015 and 2022.
Tusculum hosts Virginia State in its home opener on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Trojans played their first season in 2024 and went 1-10, beating District of Columbia 12-8 in the program's fourth game. The Trojans were 0-3 against SAC opponents, with losses to Lincoln Memorial, Mars Hill and Catawba.
The Pioneers visit Emmanuel on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Lions were 1-15 last season and went 1-6 in Conference Carolinas, with their lone victory coming in the season finale against Lees-McRae by an 18-5 score. Tusculum is 4-0 all-time against Emmanuel, with a 15-4 win in the last meeting on Feb. 18, 2023.
On Saturday, Feb. 22 the Pioneers will be home against Thomas More. The Saints and Pioneers were scheduled to play last season but the match was canceled due to weather. Thomas More was 2-10 last season and finished 2-6 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference action.
Tusculum will wrap up February with a visit to Shorter on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The Pioneers are 4-0 all-time against the Hawks, with the last win coming on Feb. 8, 2022. Shorter was 8-8 last season and went 0-4 in their final season in the Peach Belt Conference.
The Pioneers open their SAC schedule at home against Catawba on Saturday, March 1. The Indians were 7-8 last season and in seventh place in the SAC With a 3-6 record. Catawba went up 5-4 in the all-time series with Tusculum with an 18-5 victory last season.
Tusculum plays its final non-conference match on Wednesday, March 5 at Lees-McRae. The Bobcats opened last season with three non-league wins, then lost its final eight contests including seven in a row in Conference Carolinas. The Pioneers are 6-0 all-time against the Bobcats, with the last meeting a 14-6 victory on March 1, 2023.
The Pioneers host Newberry on Saturday, March 8. The Wolves placed fourth in the SAC with a 6-3 record, and beat Anderson 20-14 in the conference quarterfinals before being eliminated with a 24-13 loss to Limestone in the semifinals to end the year with a 12-4 record. Newberry was ranked 10th when it beat Tusculum last season for its fourth win in a row over the Pioneers and a 5-2 lead in the series.
Tusculum will visit Wingate on Saturday, March 15. The Bulldogs were third in the SAC at 7-2 and beat Coker 18-1 in the quarterfinals before ending their season at 11-5 with an 11-10 overtime loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC semifinals. Wingate's victory over Tusculum last year when ranked eighth was their 10th win all-time without a loss over the Pioneers.
The Pioneers travel to Limestone on Wednesday, March 19 to take on the defending SAC regular-season champions. The Saints were 9-0 in the league in the regular season in 2024, taking their only two losses of the year to Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC Championship match and the NCAA quarterfinals to end the year at 17-2. Limestone has been ranked in all nine of their wins all-time against Tusculum, three times at number one including last season.
Tusculum is back home to play Anderson on Saturday, March 22. The Trojans were fifth in the SAC with a 5-4 record and lost 20-14 to Newberry in the quarterfinals to end the year with a 7-9 overall record. Anderson is 3-1 all-time against Tusculum with three consecutive victories.
March will conclude with a trip to Mars Hill on Saturday, March 29. The Lions finished 5-10 overall and 2-7 in the SAC last season, including a 15-10 victory over the Pioneers. Tusculum leads the all-time series 6-4.
The Pioneers host Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, April 2. The Railsplitters were 4-11 overall and 1-8 in the SAC last season, earning a 17-7 victory over the Pioneers. The teams have split their eight all-time meetings.
Tusculum goes back to the road to take on Coker on Sunday, April 6. The Cobras grabbed the sixth and final postseason spot in the SAC with a 4-5 league record, then fell to Wingate in the quarterfinals to end the year at 6-9. The Cobras squeaked past the Pioneers 13-10 last season to even up a highly-competitive series that stands at six wins apiece.
The final road trip of the year is to perennial national contender Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, April 12. The Bears were 8-1 in the SAC last season, losing 10-9 to Limestone in the regular season before beating the Saints in both the SAC Championship and the NCAA quarterfinals. The Bears fell 12-10 to Adelphi in the national championship to end the season at 17-2. Lenoir-Rhyne has won all 12 meetings all-time with the Pioneers.
Tusculum wraps up the regular season at home on Saturday, April 19 against first-year program Emory & Henry. The Wasps become the 11th SAC school to sponsor men's lacrosse.
The South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament begins with quarterfinals on campus sites on Saturday, April 26 and semifinals on campus on Wednesday, April 30. The championship match will be played Saturday, May 3 in Matthews, North Carolina.
