GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's lacrosse team welcomes Lee University to Pioneer Field for its season opener on Saturday, Feb. 4 beginning at 1 p.m.
The Pioneers went 4-12 last season and had a 1-9 mark in the South Atlantic Conference for head coach Jenna Agostino, who has six starters and 11 letterwinners back for her second year on the Tusculum sidelines.
ATTACK
Senior Tia Daniel (Langley, B.C.) was named third-team All-SAC last season after leading the team in goals (55), assists (19) and points (74), with her goal and point totals each the second-most in a single season in program history. Daniel led the Pioneers with 15 free position goals and was second on the team with 52 draw controls and 17 caused turnovers, while ranking fourth with 26 ground balls. Daniel scored at least one goal in all 16 games, including two seven-goal games and three five-goal games.
Daniel, a second-team preseason All-SAC honoree, enters the season ranked fifth in program history with 91 goals, eighth with 23 assists and sixth with 114 points. Daniel also ranks seventh in program history with 80 career draw controls in just 29 career games.
Junior Natalie Dagley (Alcoa, Tenn.) started 14 games last season and finished with nine goals and an assist for 10 points. Dagley had a pair of two-goal games last season, and scored at least one goal in seven of her 14 games.
Sophomore Mackenzie Sherrod (Seymour, Tenn.) comes to Tusculum after one season at Tennessee Wesleyan, where she led the team with 32 goals and was second on the squad with 37 points. Sherrod scored 11 free-position goals and was third on the team with 20 draw controls in 13 games.
Junior Abby Lockwood (Wentzville, Mo.) also joins the program after two seasons at Missouri Western, where she had eight goals and two assists last season and recorded 14 goals and three assists in 29 career games.
MIDFIELD
Junior Lucy Brewer (Williamstown, Australia), a preseason second-team All-SAC selection, was second to Daniel last season in goals (30), assists (9) and points (39). Brewer led the Pioneers with 53 draw controls and was second on the squad with 28 ground balls, while ranking third with 15 caused turnovers. Brewer had at least one point in 13 of the Pioneers' 16 games, including five goals and an assist at Newberry and four goals and an assist against both Limestone and Coker.
Senior Kylie Marek (Plantation, Fla.) was third-team preseason All-SAC after ranking third on the team behind Daniel and Brewer in goals (26), assists (8) and points (34). Marek was third on the team with 46 draw controls and had four three-goal games last season. Marek has collected 43 goals and 11 assists for 54 points along with 69 draw controls in 24 career games.
Senior Kamryn McNeil (Alpharetta, Ga.) moved from defense to attack at midseason and ended the year with 16 goals and four assists for 20 points, along with 18 ground balls. McNeil had two goals and three assists against Coker and scored three goals against both Lees-McRae and Catawba. McNeil has started all 28 games of her career and has 22 draw controls and 26 ground balls along with 15 caused turnovers.
Sophomore Jadyn Gleason (Evans, Ga.) played in 15 matches last season and made three starts, earning 13 draw controls while scoring five goals. Sophomore Chloe Michalski (Victoria, B.C.) appeared in 14 matches and had a goal and three assists last season with seven ground balls.
Sophomore Emma Miller (Maryville, Tenn.) played 12 matches and scored one goal against UVA Wise, while sophomore Kira Spaulding (Adams, Tenn.) appeared in six games as a freshman and scored a goal against Converse. Joining the program is freshman Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg (Yarraville, Australia).
DEFENSE
Junior Morgan Correia (New Bedford, Mass.) is the veteran on defense for the Pioneers, having started all 16 games a year ago and ranking fifth on the team with 25 ground balls. Correia had five ground balls against Mars Hill and four against both Converse and Catawba.
Junior Haylee Cureton (Moore, S.C.) comes to Tusculum after two seasons at Southern Wesleyan, where she played in 30 games and scored 28 goals while claiming 34 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers and 13 draw controls. Cureton had a season-high five goals last season against Erskine and four goals against Truett-McConnell.
Senior Sophia Sesi (Palm Harbor, Fla.) played in 11 matches last season and scored a goal against UVA Wise while picking up two ground balls. Freshman Celeste Raya (Apopka, Fla.) was team MVP at Apopka High School as a senior and collected 50 ground balls over her final two seasons.
GOALKEEPERS
Junior Kari Ham (Maryland Heights, Mo.) is a transfer from Missouri Western, where she appeared in 11 games over two seasons. Ham played in six games last season with two starts, and compiled a 10.35 goals against average and a .533 save percentage, including a season-high 10 saves against Maryville.
Freshman Emily White (Roswell, Ga.) was honorable mention All-State while playing for Lassiter High School, where she helped her team advance to the state Final Four.
SCHEDULE
Saturday's season opener will be the first of 12 consecutive weekends with matches for the Pioneers, who will also have weekday home games against North Greenville (Feb. 22), Anderson (March 15), Lincoln Memorial (March 29) and UVA Wise (April 12).
