GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's soccer team is preparing to open its regular season when the Pioneers host Young Harris on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Pioneer Field.
It will be the first September match in two years for the Pioneers, who participated in an abbreviated and pandemic-delayed 2021 spring season with mixed results. Tusculum went just 2-5-2 during the spring, but dropped one-goal setbacks to league favorites Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba and Carson-Newman and battled to a pair of draws with Lincoln Memorial.
An infusion of young, talented players on defense and an increased focus on goal scoring has head coach Mike Joy ready for his 25th season on the Tusculum sidelines. Joy is pleased to be able to institute a more conventional preseason schedule, and looks for carryover once the season gets underway.
"We were able to make our preseason trip happen to Hawaii, so certainly we are having a more normal preseason to this point," said Joy, who has 278 wins as head coach of the Pioneers and 364 wins as he begins his 30th season as a collegiate coach. "For this team to be successful, we will need to continue to improve our overall fitness. We will be starting and playing a number of freshmen, but I feel confident they will turn out to be special. We just have to hope they have a speedy learning curve."
A total of 15 freshmen are on the Pioneer roster, with 10 seeing game action during a pair of exhibition matches in Hawaii. In addition, the roster has been bolstered with the return of three seniors for their fifth year of eligibility, including three-time All-SAC selection Kenzie Ellenburg and three-year starter Yvette Raaijen along with four-year regular Elise Gallo.
"It's great to have a few of our fifth-year seniors return. All three of them plus volunteer coach Chelsea Sheerin will help us mentor the younger players we are transitioning into the program," Joy added.
FORWARDS
Fifth-year senior Ellenburg (Mosheim, Tenn.) moves up top after anchoring the Tusculum defense for the past four seasons. Ellenburg, a three-time All-SAC honoree, has five goals and an assist for 11 points in 59 career matches for the Pioneers. Four of her five career goals have come in conference matches for Ellenburg, who set a school record with 105 career goals at Greeneville High School before coming to Tusculum.
Junior Brianna Garcia (Acworth, Ga.) tied for the team lead in goals last spring with three, and had a team-high eight points. Garcia had a two-goal game against Carson-Newman, earned a pair of assists against Mars Hill and scored in the SAC quarterfinals at Queens. Garcia has made 20 career starts in two seasons, with 15 of her 19 shots on goal.
Gallo (Davidson, N.C.) is a graduate student who has appeared in 44 career matches for the Pioneers, collecting three goals and two assists for eight points on 32 shot attempts. Senior Brianna Oats (Wellington, Fla.) will bring speed to the forward position for the Pioneers, after previously competing as a hurdler on the track and field team. Oats played two games in the spring, for a total of 20 minutes.
Sophomores Joey Garrett (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Anna Pendleton (Seymour, Tenn.) and Hannah Deakins (Dayton, Tenn.) are back in the lineup for the Pioneers this fall after seeing action in the spring. Garrett is slated to join Ellenburg and Garcia in the starting lineup after she competed in four games for the Pioneers last spring. Pendleton returns to action after her freshman season was cut short by injury after one game, while Deakins awaits her varsity debut after setting the career goal record at Rhea County High School.
Joining the program this year are freshmen Julianne Fox (Greenback, Tenn.), Kylie Kincaid (Chesapeake, Va.), Bonnie Lauderback (Knoxville, Tenn.), Bailey Medley (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Angela Sanchez (Sevierville, Tenn.) and Macie Sumner (New Tazewell, Tenn.). Fox scored a school-record 119 goals at Greenback High School, while Sumner set the Claiborne High School career mark with 81 goals.
MIDFIELDERS
Strong veteran leadership will be provided by Raaijen (Almere, the Netherlands) and senior Kaitlyn Watson (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). Raaijen, a grad student who started on defense for her first three seasons, has six goals and four assists for 16 points in 53 career matches, including a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks. Watson, who has started all 44 matches of her career, has two goals and nine assists for 13 points and has led the team in assists each of the last two seasons.
Junior Bailey Bylotas (Fort Worth, Texas) started all nine games last spring and scored her first career goal in a victory over Mars Hill. Junior Peiton Bledsoe (Maryville, Tenn.) appeared in three games off the bench and also scored her first career goal, coming in a 1-1 draw at Lincoln Memorial. Sophomore Cristina Iranzo (Pamplona, Spain) moves up to the middle after starting on defense last season, during which she recorded a goal and an assist.
Sophomore Ashlie McFarlane (Colorado Springs, Colo.) played in seven matches during her rookie season, including one start, while fellow sophomore Reagan Harrold (Cleveland, Tenn.) played in a pair of matches for a total of 38 minutes.
Senior Alyssa Sayne (Friendsville, Tenn.) and sophomores Tori Mitchell (Dayton, Tenn.) and Gracie Westhoven (Waynesville, N.C.) were members of the Pioneer developmental squad last spring. Newcomers to the program include freshmen Jenna McConnell (Lenoir City, Tenn.), Hannah Moseley (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.), Helena Walts (Mooresville, N.C.) and Marissa White (Greeneville, Tenn.).
DEFENDERS
A deep unit returns several starters, along with the addition of several promising freshmen. Junior Arisa Timoll (Courtice, Ontario) started all nine matches during the spring, with seven starts from senior Katlyn Jones (Chuckey, Tenn.). Junior Ashley Waggoner (Little Elm, Texas) appeared in all nine contests and made four starts, with five games from sophomore Rachel Cook (Carrollton, Texas) in her freshman campaign.
Senior Chayse Stonebraker (Chandler, Texas) is back on defense for the Pioneers after being forced to miss the spring campaign due to injury. Senior Halea Murphy (Mosheim, Tenn.) and sophomores Anna Hill (Dexter, Ky.) and Brenna Weber (Piney Flats, Tenn.) return after gaining experience on the developmental squad.
Three freshmen are expected to step in and play a major role for the Tusculum defense, led by All-American Myah Giordullo (Cincinnati, Ohio) along with Laila Pitt (Kernersville, N.C.) and Kate Benne (San Antonio, Texas). Also joining the Pioneer program is fellow freshman Anna Brice (Knoxville, Tenn.).
GOALKEEPERS
Sophomore Grayson Patterson (Maryville, Tenn.) is the lone keeper with collegiate experience, having played 17 minutes against Carson-Newman during the spring season and making one save. Sophomores Emma Harriman (High Point, N.C.) and Sadie Short (Orlinda, Tenn.) also return for the Pioneers while freshman Brooklynn Hudgins (Perkasie, Pa.) enters the Tusculum program to provide solid depth.
SCHEDULE
Tusculum opens the season with four straight non-conference matches, including home games with Young Harris and King, before heading to Florida for matches with Tampa and Eckerd. The Pioneers begin their SAC schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Lincoln Memorial, and will play 11 league games along with additional non-league home matches with Alabama Huntsville, Georgia College and Columbus State.
