GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Lucy Brewer matched her career high with five goals and Tia Daniel added four goals and three assists as Tusculum University defeated the University of Charleston 15-7 in non-conference women's lacrosse action Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Kamryn McNeil added three goals for the Pioneers (1-1), who never trailed in the match and finished with a 33-11 advantage in shots and a 19-7 edge in draw controls over the Golden Eagles (0-1). Daniel had a career-high 12 draw controls, one shy of the program single-game record of 13 set by Juliette Cusano against Lees-McRae on March 21, 2019.
Destiny Jackson had two goals and an assist and Gianna Blundell scored twice for the Golden Eagles, who committed 28 turnovers and scored just one goal in the final 27 minutes after pulling within 8-6 early in the third quarter.
Brewer scored four of her five goals in the second half to match her career high of five goals set against Newberry on March 12, 2022. Brewer also had four ground balls, a season-high six draw controls and three caused turnovers as the Pioneer defense caused 15 of Charleston's 28 turnovers in the contest.
Abby Lockwood had a goal and an assist, Emma Miller recorded two assists and Natalie Dagley and Chloe Michalski also scored for the Pioneers. Michalski had four caused turnovers, with three apiece from Brewer and Morgan Correia and two each from Daniel and Celeste Raya.
McNeil opened the scoring just under three minutes into the first quarter, but Jackson netted a free-position goal to knot the game at 1-1 with 10:53 left in the opening period. Brewer would put Tusculum up for good just 11 seconds later, and goals from Michalski and Lockwood put the Pioneers ahead 4-1 with 3:29 to go. Jackson would get her second of the game with 3:14 left as Tusculum led 4-2 after one period.
The teams would alternate goals in the second quarter, with tallies from Darby Stolz and Madison Partridge answered by Tusculum's Daniel and McNeil. After a goal from Blundell with 2:51 to go, the Pioneers would get free-position goals from McNeil and Daniel in the final 70 seconds to send Tusculum to the half with an 8-5 lead.
A free-position goal from Blundell would bring the Golden Eagles within 8-6 with 12:18 to go in the third quarter, but Brewer would score three times and Daniel once in a span of 2 1/2 minutes as the Pioneers went up 12-6 with 6:59 remaining in the period, and the score stood for the remainder of the quarter.
Brewer collected her fifth goal of the day with 14:44 to play in the fourth quarter for a 13-6 Tusculum lead, and Dagley tallied with 10:14 to go. Charleston broke their scoring drought with 7:50 remaining on a goal from Tess Yuhas, and Daniel would set the final score with another free-position goal with 7:00 left.
Tusculum had 27 ground balls in the game, led by four each from Michalski, Brewer and Correia and three from Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg. For Charleston, Ally Wilson had a team-high four ground balls and Jackson led the team with three caused turnovers.
The Pioneers split the game in goal, with Kari Ham making one save in the first half and Emily White two in the second half. Megan Liston played the entire game for the Golden Eagles and had seven saves.
Tusculum will travel to Alabama Huntsville next Saturday, February 18 for a 3 p.m. match with the Chargers.
