GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's lacrosse team has finalized its slate of 16 regular-season games for the 2023 season, head coach Jenna Agostino has announced.
The Pioneers will play 10 of their 16 contests at Pioneer Field, where Tusculum went 3-5 last season en route to a 4-12 overall record. Four of the Pioneers' top five scorers from last year's team have returned, including third-team All-South Atlantic Conference attacker Tia Daniel (55 goals). Six starters are back from last year's squad for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers will host Lee on Saturday, Feb. 4 in their season opener. The Flames were 8-8 overall last season and went 5-1 in the Gulf South Conference, which included a 19-8 victory over the Pioneers in the season opener. Lee has won both previous meetings with Tusculum.
Tusculum will play at home against Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 11 in their first-ever meeting with the Golden Eagles. Charleston finished 6-9 last season and went 4-4 in the Mountain East Conference.
The Pioneers' first road contest of 2023 will be at Alabama Huntsville on Saturday, Feb. 18. The Chargers are the defending Gulf South Conference champions, having gone 6-0 in the regular season before beating Lander (19-9) and Flagler (15-12) to claim the postseason title and end the year at 11-6. This will be the first meeting between Tusculum and UAH in women's lacrosse.
Tusculum closes out February with back-to-back home contests, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 22 against North Greenville. The Crusaders were 9-10 last season and 6-3 in Conference Carolinas, and defeated the Pioneers 13-7 early in the year. The teams have split four all-time meetings, with the home team winning all four matches.
The final game of February will be a home contest with Lees-McRae on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Bobcats were 3-12 last season and finished 3-6 in Conference Carolinas, and dropped a 19-6 home decision to the Pioneers. Tusculum is 4-0 all-time against Lees-McRae, with three of the four victories coming at Pioneer Field.
The Pioneers open their SAC schedule on Saturday, March 4 at Wingate. The Bulldogs finished second in the SAC at 9-1 last season and lost 21-5 to Queens in the conference championship, then fell 19-6 to Florida Southern in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end the year at 15-4. Wingate beat Tusculum 22-6 last season to improve to 7-1 all-time against the Pioneers with seven straight wins.
Tusculum will visit Coker on Sunday, March 12. The Cobras finished 1-14 overall last season and 0-10 in conference play, with their only win an 11-8 victory over St. Andrews in mid-February. The Pioneers beat the Cobras 21-7 on Senior Day last season to snap a two-game losing streak to Coker and improve to 3-6 in the all-time series.
The Pioneers will take on first-year program Anderson on Wednesday, March 15 at Pioneer Field, followed by the final non-conference match of the season on Sunday, March 19 vs. Missouri Western State. The Griffons were 8-9 last season and 2-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Tusculum will return to the road to play Limestone on Saturday, March 25. The Saints finished third in the SAC at 8-2 last season before being upset by Newberry 12-11 in overtime in the first round of the conference tournament. Limestone beat Tusculum 16-8 last season in the first SAC meeting between the schools, with the Saints winning the only other meeting 14-5 in 2017.
March will conclude with a home contest with Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, March 29. The Railsplitters tied for fourth in the SAC at 6-4 last season and pulled a 12-11 overtime upset win over Lenoir-Rhyne in the first round of the SAC Tournament before falling 25-4 to Queens in the semifinals. The Railsplitters beat the Pioneers 19-8 last year for their second straight win over the Pioneers, while narrowing Tusculum's lead in the series to 4-2.
The Pioneers open April by hosting Catawba on Saturday, April 1. The Indians were 8-9 overall and tied for seventh in the SAC at 4-6 last season, which included a 19-12 home victory over the Pioneers. Catawba has won five straight meetings with Tusculum and leads the all-time series 5-1.
Tusculum will travel to Lenoir-Rhyne to face off with the Bears on Saturday, April 8. Lenoir-Rhyne went 8-10 overall and 6-4 in the SAC last year, falling in overtime to Lincoln Memorial in the opening round of the SAC Tournament. The Bears defeated the Pioneers 13-7 last season and now holds a 7-0 advantage in the all-time series.
The Pioneers host UVA Wise on Wednesday, April 12. The Cavaliers were 4-6 in conference play and 7-9 overall last season, which included a 20-13 win over the Pioneers. UVA Wise has a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series and have won five in a row, including three straight at Pioneer Field.
The final home game of the regular season will be Saturday, April 15 against Newberry. The Wolves finished the regular season with five straight losses, but earned a SAC Tournament berth at 4-6 and then upset Limestone 12-11 in overtime in the first round. Newberry lost 15-10 to Wingate in the semifinals to end the season at 11-8, which included a 13-10 win over the Pioneers at home. Tusculum leads the all-time series 6-2, but Newberry has won the last two meetings.
Tusculum will close the regular season on Saturday, April 22 at Mars Hill. The Lions went 7-8 last season and turned in a 3-7 conference record, which included a 17-12 win over the Pioneers. The teams have split their four all-time meetings, with each winning once at home and once on the road.
The SAC Championship tournament starts Tuesday, April 25 with first-round games at campus sites. The semifinals will be Friday, April 28 and the championship on Sunday, April 30 at the Sportsplex at Matthews, North Carolina.
The NCAA Division II bracket will be selected on Sunday, May 7, with first and second round matches the weekend of May 12-14. The semifinals and finals will be play at Key Stadium in Indianapolis May 19-21.
