GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's lacrosse team will take on its second straight nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday when the Pioneers visit Limestone University for their first-ever South Atlantic Conference match against the 15th-ranked Saints. Game time is scheduled for noon.
The Pioneers (4-2, 1-2 SAC) are coming off a 21-11 loss at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, while the Saints (4-2, 3-2 SAC) earned their second straight win with a 23-2 rout of Lincoln Memorial.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Tusculum gave up 10 goals in the second quarter to Lenoir-Rhyne and trailed 16-4 at halftime, before rallying with six goals in the fourth quarter to put a dent in the Bears' lead. Junior attackmen Kale Lawrence and Nate Raymond led the Pioneers with three goals apiece, but the Pioneers were outshot 50-38 and gave up goals to 13 different scorers for Lenoir-Rhyne.
Raymond and sophomore midfielder Tristan Kirkham share the team lead in goals with 12, with Kirkham tied for the team lead in points with senior attack Braden Elam at 16. Kirkham and Elam are tied for 15th in the SAC in points, as are Raymond and Kirkham in goals. Lawrence is also in double figures in goals with 10, trailed by Elam, senior midfielder Lorenz Brown and junior midfielder Josh Pickford with eight goals apiece. Thirteen different Pioneers have scored at least one goal this season, six of which have scored at least one man-up goal.
On defense, senior Connor Coleman leads the SAC in caused turnovers with 15, and ranks 11th in Division II and third in the conference with 2.5 caused turnovers per game. Coleman has 23 ground balls to lead all field players, followed by Lawrence with 16 and 13 apiece from Brown and senior long-stick midfielder Tanner Deck.
Tusculum continues to rank near the top of Division II in faceoff winning percentage, although the Pioneers have slipped to seventh in the nation and third in the conference with a 63.9 percent percentage. Junior Andy Michalski is second in the conference and sixth in Division II at 68.2 percent success, and is fifth in the SAC in ground balls with 33.
Junior goalkeeper Ross Geiger ranks second in the SAC in goals against average and 11th in Division II at 9.80, while his .504 save percentage is sixth-best in the conference.
As a team, the Pioneers rank fourth in the conference and 12th in Division II with an average of 37.0 ground balls per game. Tusculum is third in the SAC in scoring defense and 15th in Division II at 9.50 goals allowed per match, and Tusculum is fourth in the league and 16th nationally with a scoring margin of plus-2.67 goals per game. The Pioneers rank third in the SAC in man-up offense at 36.4 percent (8-for-22).
SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Limestone has had a tough road so far in the SAC after years of domination in Conference Carolinas. The Saints won their conference opener 21-5 over Mars Hill on Feb. 13, then lost league games to Wingate (12-3) and Lenoir-Rhyne (16-7) before rebounding with back-to-back wins over Catawba (18-8) and Lincoln Memorial (23-2). In the win over LMU, Junior Owen Consoletti scored five goals and an assist and freshman Frank Smith added two goals and four assists for the Saints, who scored 14 straight goals over a span of 30 minutes against the Railsplitters. Limestone outshot LMU 55-16 and won 24 of 27 faceoffs in the win.
Consoletti leads the Saints with 19 goals and nine assists for 28 points, ranking fourth in the league in goals, seventh in assists and fifth in points. Consoletti is second in the conference with four man-up goals and is fourth on the team with 16 ground balls. Sophomore Ethan Stannard has scored 12 goals for the Saints while Smith has 10 goals and a team-high 12 assists for 22 points, ranking fourth in the SAC in assists. As a team, Limestone is fourth in the SAC in scoring at 14.0 goals per game.
Senior Christopher Parrott is third in the conference and ranks eighth in Division II in faceoff winning percentage at 65.9 percent (58-for-88), while ranking third in the SAC with 42 ground balls. Senior Dakota Kirsch-Downs has won 69.6 percent of his faceoffs (39-for-56) and is second on the team to Parrott with 25 ground balls.
Senior goalkeeper William Baxter is fifth in goals against average in the conference at 11.37 and ranks third in save percentage at .536. As a team, the Saints lead the conference in save percentage at 55.8 percent, and rank second in goals against average at 8.83.
Limestone is 10-for-23 on extra-man opportunities through six matches, with their 43.5 conversion rate ranking third in the conference. The Saints are also tied for the conference lead with two man-down goals.
SERIES HISTORY
The Saints are 5-0 all-time against the Pioneers, and were ranked in all five meetings include twice as the number-one team in Division II. Last year, the top-ranked Saints beat the Pioneers in Gaffney by an 18-7 score on Feb. 14.
COVID-19 PROTOCOL
Passes will be allocated to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis after being distributed to Limestone student-athletes. Attendance at Saints Field will be capped at 206 fans. A total of 102 fans will be allowed in the grandstand while 104 will be allowed to set up chairs on the grass bank between the field and the Bob Campbell Field House. Spectators will need a valid ID to gain entry to the event and must consent to a temperature check upon entrance. Fans will have to wear face masks during the entirety of the event, and re-entry will not be allowed once a temperature check has been completed. Available ticket information will be posted on Twitter at @LimestoneTix and on Instagram at @LimestoneTix for each event. More information is available at https://golimestonesaints.com/news/2021/3/8/general-limestone-athletics-modifies-attendance-policies-for-home-events.aspx.
