ROME, Ga. --- The Tusculum University women's lacrosse team defeated Shorter University 15-11 in its season opener Saturday afternoon.
Kayla Nuccio and Cassidy Bourne each had four goals and an assist for the Pioneers (1-0), with two goals apiece from Elisha Stack and Sophia Didzbalis. Sophia Derrick contributed a goal and an assist and Nina Tantillo and Liberty Jones each scored goals. In all, 10 of the Pioneers' 15 goals came from freshmen.
Rei Voight led the Hawks (0-1) with three goals, with two goals and two assists from Cassidy Jones and two goals from Jazzelle Ware. Shyla Araujo, Kaitlyn Dwyer-Peppers, Jordyn Rutledge and Kai Schoonmaker each scored for Shorter, which came back from an early 6-1 deficit only to allow four straight goals to the Pioneers across the third and fourth quarters.
Tusculum outshot Shorter 34-29 and had a 15-12 advantage in draw controls. The Hawks held a 21-18 edge in ground balls, but Shorter was credited with 17 turnovers to 14 for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers jumped to a quick 3-0 lead on two goals from Didzbalis and one from Nuccio in the first 8 1/2 minutes. Ware got the Hawks on the board with 6:10 left in the first quarter, but goals from Jones, Bourne and Nuccio stretched the Pioneer advantage to 6-1 with 2:21 to go. Shorter would tack on two goals late in the quarter to trail 6-3 after one period.
Tusculum went up 7-3 on a goal from Stack just 14 seconds into the second quarter, but Shorter scored four of the next five goals to pull within 8-7 at halftime, with Voight scoring twice in 50 seconds in the final two minutes.
The Pioneers took a 9-7 lead on a goal from Nuccio with 8:41 to play in the third quarter, but goals from Rutledge and Voight tied the game at 9-9 with 6:31 to go. The tie was short-lived as Stack scored just 40 seconds later, and Bourne added a goal with four seconds remaining for an 11-9 lead after three quarters.
Tusculum's lead grew to 13-9 on goals from Bourne and Nuccio just two minutes into the fourth, and Derrick and Bourne would add goals in the final eight minutes as Shorter would get no closer than three.
Mya Halladay had six ground balls and six draw controls for the Pioneers, while Jessie-Carolin Vandenberg had three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. For Shorter, Ariel Grimwade had five draw controls and six ground balls, with three draw controls and two ground balls from Melyndia Boncouer.
Tusculum goalkeeper Emily White finished with seven saves for the Pioneers, while Alley Jones had 15 saves for the Hawks. Tusculum was just 1-for-10 on free-position shots while Shorter went 7-for-15 as a team.
The Pioneers will play their home opener on Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. against Montevallo at Pioneer Field.
- TU -
