GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's lacrosse team will carry a two-game winning streak into the start of South Atlantic Conference play this week, when the Pioneers host Mars Hill University on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Field.
The Pioneers (2-2) defeated Lees-McRae 19-6 last Saturday behind five goals and three assists from Tia Tuininga. Tusculum jumped to an 11-1 lead after one quarter and led 15-3 at the half while outshooting the Bobcats by a 31-12 margin.
Tusculum will enter Saturday's game seeking its first three-game winning streak since winning four straight games during the 2018 season. The Pioneers are home for five of their next six matches after playing one home game during February, an 18-8 win over Chowan on Feb. 19.
PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Tuininga leads the Pioneers with 12 goals and five assists for 17 points in four games. Tuininga is second on the team with 10 ground balls and tied for third with four caused turnovers, and ranks ninth in the conference in goals and eighth in points. She is now tied for ninth in program history with 48 career goals, and is two shy of becoming the eighth player in school history to score 50 career goals.
Emily Youngblood is second on the team with nine goals, with eight apiece from Kylie Marek and Megann McKinney. Marek leads the Pioneers with 21 draw controls, which ranks third in the SAC, and Youngblood is fifth in the conference with five free-position goals. McKinney set a career high with six points on four goals and two assists at Lees-McRae, and is four goals away from reaching 50 for her career.
Lucy Brewer has five goals and three assists and is second on the team with 18 draw controls, which is fifth in the conference. On defense, Harley Smith leads the Pioneers with 13 ground balls and six caused turnovers, ranking her seventh in the conference in ground balls and 13th in caused turnovers.
Taylor Floyd made her first start of the season in goal against Lees-McRae and made four saves. Her goals against average of 8.33 is eighth in the conference while her .526 save percentage is fifth in the league. Caroline Monroe has three starts and is ninth in the league with 19 total saves.
Tusculum is sixth in the SAC in goals per game at 13.00, and ninth in goals against average at 11.50. The Pioneers have scored on 49.1 percent of their shots, and have put 83 percent of their shots on goal to rank third in the league in both categories. Tusculum's 45.9 save percentage is sixth-best in the league, and the Pioneers are fifth in draw controls per game at 14.0.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Mars Hill (4-0) remained undefeated with a 17-6 win at Lees-McRae on Tuesday. The Lions have claimed victories over Southern Wesleyan (16-10), Emmanuel (18-10) and Charleston (15-12) to open the season, surpassing last year's win total of three.
The Lions have already put five players in double figures in goals, led by junior Alexa Tazzetta with 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points. Senior Kiersten Foust has 14 goals and three assists for 17 points, senior Maria Fabrizio has 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in three games, and junior Sydney Joyce has 10 goals and five assists for 15 points. Freshman Haley Stallings is the fifth Lion in double figures in goals with 11.
Joyce leads the SAC with 19 ground balls, ranks third with 11 caused turnovers and is seventh in draw controls with 17. Freshman defender Toni Morgon has 14 ground balls to rank sixth in the conference and is fourth with 10 caused turnovers, while Foust is ninth in the league with 16 draw controls and seventh in goals with 14.
Three different players have started in goal for Mars Hill, with the majority of the minutes going to freshman Lauren Bryner who has an 8.17 goals against average that ranks seventh in the conference and a .600 save percentage that is third-best in the league.
The Lions are third in the conference in goals per game at 16.5 and sixth in goals against average at 9.50. Mars Hill leads the conference with 108 ground balls and ranks third with 47 caused turnovers. The Lions are third in the league in save percentage at .558 and are fourth in shooting percentage at .485.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tusculum leads the all-time series 2-1 over Mars Hill, with a 16-13 win in their first-ever meeting and only home contest to date on March 28, 2018. The Lions earned their first win over the Pioneers last season with a 15-12 victory on April 10, 2021.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Live stats are available for all home Tusculum University women's lacrosse matches. Links to stats and video for home and away matches are posted at tusculumpioneers.com.
