GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- After completing its non-conference schedule with a perfect 6-0 record, the Tusculum University men's lacrosse team will begin its South Atlantic Conference slate on Saturday when the Pioneers welcome Mars Hill University to Pioneer Field for a 4 p.m. match.
The Pioneers, who are receiving votes for the second consecutive week in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II Coaches Poll, outscored their opponents 105-50 during their six victories, which included a 12-10 win at Alabama Huntsville on Saturday afternoon. In that game, goalkeeper Ross Geiger made a career-high 20 saves and was honored as the SAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Tusculum's six-game winning streak is the longest in program history, and the Pioneers will face a Mars Hill squad that has won four in a row since opening the season with a loss. All four of Mars Hill's wins came against common opponents of the Pioneers, as the Lions have defeated Lees-McRae, Shorter, Young Harris and Emmanuel.
PROFILING THE PIONEERS
Senior Nate Raymond leads the SAC with 28 goals and 42 points through six games, and is fourth in the conference with 14 assists. Raymond has scored at least one goal in a program-record 16 straight games and has registered at least one point in 19 consecutive contests. Raymond is fourth in Division II in points per game (7.00), fifth in goals per game (4.67) and 21st in assists per game (2.33). Raymond is seventh in program history with 69 goals and eighth with 94 points, while his 28 goals and 42 points are already sixth on the Tusculum single-season list.
Junior Tristan Kirkham is fourth in the SAC in goals (24) and points (31) and ranks fourth in the conference with four man-up goals. Grad student Lorenz Brown has 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points and has extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a point to 22. Senior Kale Lawrence has 14 goals and five assists for 19 points and is now 10th in program history with 81 points and eighth with 63 career goals.
Senior Jordan Daniel has tallied 10 goals with eight assists for 18 points and is third in Division II with five man-up goals. Freshman Wesley Phillips is third in the conference with 15 assists and has six goals for a total of 21 points. Senior Sean Dunn has chipped in with four goals and four assists for eight points.
Senior Andy Michalski set the program career records for both ground balls and faceoff wins at Alabama Huntsville, with his 178 ground balls breaking the record of 173 set by Jake Smith from 2014-16, and his 338 faceoff wins surpassing the record of 326 set by Alexander Kleinberg from 2014-17. Michalski is second in the conference and eighth in Division II with 10.83 ground balls per game, and he is second in the SAC in 15th nationally with a .669 faceoff winning percentage.
Geiger's 20 saves against UAH broke his previous career best of 17 and are tied for the second-most in a game in school history. Geiger is fourth in the SAC in save percentage at .550 and ranks fourth in goals against average at 9.33. He is 19 saves away from becoming the second goalkeeper in program history to reach 400 career saves, joining Kevin Haggerty (2015-17).
As a team, the Pioneers lead Division II in total assists (69), total points (174) and shooting percentage (.402) while ranking third in assists per game (11.5), points per game (29.0) and man-up offense (51.9 percent). Tusculum also leads the SAC in scoring defense (8.33) and is second in the conference in faceoff percentage (.661) and scoring offense (17.50).
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Mars Hill (4-1) lost its season opener 18-8 at Montevallo on Feb. 5, but came back with four wins in a row over Lees-McRae (25-14), Shorter (22-7), Young Harris (9-8) and Emmanuel (20-9). The Lions have already surpassed last year's win total of three, and the four wins are the most in a season for the Lions since winning six during the 2017 season.
Mars Hill has been led by the one-two offensive punch of senior Zac Carrigan and junior Trevor Kennedy. The two have each scored 10 goals in a game this season to share the individual single-game high in Division II this season, with Carrigan netting 10 against Lees-McRae and Kennedy matching the feat against Emmanuel.
Carrigan has 28 goals and nine assists for 37 points, giving him a share of the SAC lead in goals with Raymond and Beau Henson of Anderson, while his 37 points are second only to Raymond in the league. Carrigan leads Division II with nine man-up goals and he is second in Division II in goals per game (5.60) and points per game (7.40). Kennedy has 24 goals and six assists for 30 points, tying him for fourth in the league in goals and sixth in points.
Freshman Austin Stroud is second in the SAC with 18 assists and is third on the team with 23 points, while freshman Brandon Woodward has scored seven goals. The Lions have received goals from 16 different players so far this season.
On faceoffs, senior Frankie Villeneuve is winning at a 62.9 percent clip to rank third in the conference and he is fifth in the league in ground balls per game at 7.00. In goal, sophomore Steven Smith has made four starts and leads the SAC in both goals against average (8.35) and save percentage (.637).
The Lions are third in the SAC in scoring offense at 16.8 goals per game, and sixth in defense at 11.2 goals per contest. Mars Hill is second in the conference and in Division II in man-up offense at 53.8 percent but ranks just eighth in the league in clear percentage at 73.2 percent. Thanks to Smith, the Lions are second in the conference in saves per game at 15.2.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tusculum leads the all-time series by a 5-2 margin over Mars Hill, including a 9-7 win on the road on Feb. 24 of last season. The Pioneers are 2-1 all-time at home against the Lions, with the last home game a 13-5 Tusculum victory on Mar. 10, 2018.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
Live stats are available for all home Tusculum University men's lacrosse matches. Links to stats and video for home and away matches are posted at tusculumpioneers.com.
