GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tia Tuininga set career highs with seven goals and 10 points as Tusculum University routed Converse University 23-5 in non-conference women's lacrosse action at Pioneer Field Tuesday evening.

Kylie Marek, Lucy Brewer and Emily Youngblood each scored three goals for the Pioneers (3-5), who outshot the Valkyries (0-6) by a 45-12 margin. Tusculum led 9-3 after one quarter and 14-4 at halftime before outscoring Converse 9-1 in the second half.

Tuininga's seven goals are tied for the third-most in a game in program history, while her 10 points are tied for the second-most in a contest. She scored five goals in the first half and added one in both the third and fourth quarters. Natalie Dagley and Jadyn Gleason scored two goals apiece for the Pioneers, while Jessica Spiegel had a goal and two assists and Kamryn McNeil and Kira Spaulding each collected a goal.

The 23 goals by the Pioneers tied the team single-game record set against Chowan on Feb. 28, 2015 and matched against Converse on Feb. 20, 2016. Tusculum put 40 of its 45 shot attempts on goal, and went a perfect 3-for-3 on free-position opportunities. The 45 shot attempts are the third-most in a game in program history, behind the 46 shots taken at Converse in the 2016 win and at Lincoln Memorial on March 18, 2015.

Brenna Everette led Converse with three goals and an assist and Cassidy O'Neill scored twice for the Valkyries, who committed 27 turnovers and were beaten on draw controls by the Pioneers by a 20-9 margin.

Spiegel opened the scoring 18 seconds into the first quarter for the Pioneers, but Everette converted on a free position just under a minute later to tie the score at 1-1. Tusculum would score three in a row to go up 4-1 on goals from Marek, Youngblood and Tuininga, only to see Everette score another free-position goal to pull the Valkyries within 4-2 with 7:12 left in the quarter. Three goals in just over two minutes from Brewer, Youngblood and Dagley left Tusculum up 7-2 with 4:37 remaining, but O'Neill pulled Converse within 7-3 with 4:07 to go. Marek gave Tusculum an 8-3 lead with 1:04 left and Tuininga beat the buzzer to end the quarter as the Pioneers led 9-3 after one period.

Tuininga scored twice more to open the second quarter to extend Tusculum's lead to 11-3 with 10:55 left in the half, but O'Neill got her second of the evening to cut the margin to 11-4 with 10:09 left. Brewer would net a pair of goals and Tuininga would score with 26 seconds left as the Pioneers led 14-4 at intermission.

Playing the entire second half with a running clock, the Pioneers and Valkyries opened the third quarter with an exchange of goals from Dagley and Everette, which left Tusculum up 15-5 with 12:42 left in the quarter. That would end the scoring for Converse, as the Pioneers scored the final four goals of the third quarter and all four in the fourth. Gleason and Spaulding would each score their first career goals late in the third, and Gleason chipped in another early in the fourth. Marek and McNeil closed out the scoring in the match, with the final goal coming with 25 seconds remaining.

Brewer, Gleason and Marek each had five draw controls for the Pioneers, with three from Youngblood. Tusculum caused 14 turnovers in the contest, with two apiece from Marek and Tuininga and 10 different players credited with one each. Harley Smith and Brewer each had five ground balls for the Pioneers, with four by Morgan Correia and three by Tuininga.

Converse was led on draws by Ciriaca Petitto, who had four, with two apiece by Libby Stevens and Everette. Everette had three caused turnovers and two ground balls, with two apiece from O'Neill, Petitto and Kailee Reel. The Valkyries were 2-for-4 on free-position shots, all coming from Everette.

Tusculum was 17-for-19 on clears while Converse was just 12-for-24 as a team. The Pioneers had a 23-12 edge in ground balls and finished with just 14 turnovers as a team.

Pioneer keeper Taylor Floyd started and made two saves over the first three quarters, followed by Caroline Monroe who played a scoreless fourth quarter with two saves. For Converse, Madalynn Brunner had 12 saves in the first three quarter and Reagan Collins had five stops in the final period.

Tusculum will return to its South Atlantic Conference schedule on Saturday, March 19 with a visit from Lenoir-Rhyne to Pioneer Field for a 1 p.m. contest. The Bears are 3-4 overall and 1-0 in conference play while the Pioneers are 0-2 in the league.