GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Tusculum University women’s lacrosse team is in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament for the first time since 2018, and the Pioneers will visit Anderson University for a quarterfinal round matchup on Saturday, April 25 beginning at 2 p.m.
The Pioneers (9-8, 5-5 SAC) are seeded sixth in the field and will face the third-seeded Trojans (11-6, 8-2 SAC), who were ranked in the IWLCA Division II Top 25 for most of the season. Anderson beat Tusculum 18-5 in the regular-season meeting between the teams on Feb. 28 at Younts Stadium on the Anderson campus.
Tusculum’s nine wins this season are the most for the program since the 2016 season, and Wednesday’s win over Emory & Henry gave fifth-year head coach Jenna Agostino her 33rd career victory to become the program’s all-time leader in coaching wins.
The Pioneers are 1-4 all-time in the SAC Tournament, with the lone victory a 15-8 win over Brevard in the 2016 quarterfinals. Tusculum’s last conference tournament game was a 19-15 loss at Wingate on April 24, 2018, and the Pioneers are 0-3 on the road in conference postseason play.
Anderson is making its third SAC Tournament appearance in the program’s four-year history. The Trojans are 1-2 all-time, including a 14-13 overtime loss to Lenoir-Rhyne in last year’s quarterfinals. The Trojans are 4-0 all-time against the Pioneers, including a 2-0 mark at home.
Saturday’s winner will travel to second-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne for the semifinals on Wednesday, April 29. The championship match will be played Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m. at the Sportsplex at Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina.
PIONEER PREVIEW
The Pioneers are led offensively by sophomore Elisha Stack, who leads the SAC in assists (56) and points (92) to go along with 36 goals. Stack had at least one point in all 17 games, with three games of 11 points or more. Her 56 assists and 92 points are both Tusculum single-season records.
Freshman Carmella Nilsson has scored 44 goals in her rookie season and is second on the team with 15 caused turnovers, while senior Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg has tallied 30 goals and leads the Pioneers in ground balls (50) and caused turnovers (21). Sophomore Mya Halladay has collected 26 goals and has a team-best 43 draw controls, with 22 goals and 17 assists from senior Liberty Jones and 22 goals from freshman Laura Nance Pickens.
Sophomore Sophia Didzbalis has added 19 goals for the Pioneers, who are averaging 13.5 goals per game. Freshmen Marissa Fink and Reese Remaly have each played all 17 games, with Fink posting nine goals and four assists with 24 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers and Remaly adding four goals with 28 draw controls.
On defense, sophomore Caroline Rauhuff has started all 17 games and has 24 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers, with 15 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers from senior Celeste Raya. Sophomore Haley Cain has 18 ground balls and eight caused turnovers and sophomore Penelope Lee has collected 10 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
Senior Emily White has posted an 11.25 goals against average and made 89 saves for the Pioneers this season, with freshman Emery Dove making 31 saves and owning a 13.13 goals against average across 233 minutes of playing time.
TROJAN PREVIEW
Five of Anderson’s six losses came to ranked teams, including top-ranked Flagler on March 12 by a 21-8 score. The Trojans have won five of their last six matches, with the only setback a 10-9 loss at Lenoir-Rhyne on April 11. Anderson played four one-goal games this season, going 1-3 in those contests.
Sophomore Ellie Wilkins is the leading scorer for the Trojans, tied for third in the conference with 56 goals. Junior Ava Skeffington has added 44 goals and 12 assists for 56 points, and sophomore Megan Muri has collected 36 goals and 14 assists while leading the team with 83 draw controls, 41 ground balls and 31 caused turnovers.
The Trojans rank last in the SAC with a team save percentage of 36.4, with just 87 saves on 239 shots on goal. Grad student Rory Turner has been the primary goalie for the Trojans, making 61 saves with a 10.47 goals against average. Anderson does rank fourth-best in the conference with a team goals against average of 8.99.
SAC PREVIEW
Wingate won its fourth straight SAC regular season title and earned the number-one seed in the six-team field. The Bulldogs will host semifinals on Wednesday against the winner of the other quarterfinal match between fourth-seeded UVA Wise and fifth-seeded Newberry, which will also be played on Saturday.
SAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament
Saturday, April 25 (at highest seeds)
Game 1: #5 Newberry at #4 UVA Wise, 1 p.m.
Game 2: #6 Tusculum at #3 Anderson, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, April 29 (at highest seeds)
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. #1 Wingate
Game 4: Winner Game 2 vs. #2 Lenoir-Rhyne
Saturday, May 2 (Matthews, N.C.)
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1 p.m.
